Successful Driving/i
In Saudi Arabia most of the year the land is sand. Occasionally, the desert does get not only rain, but violent thunderstorms and the desert does not have the capacity to absorb the water quickly. Most Arab countries have what are called Wadi’s that are dry channels so that when these raging storms appear the water is channeled at least away from the buildings and population centers. This also means that the flow of water is channeled in one spot and that can mean anyone or anything in the Wadi will get washed away just like flushing the toilet.
Winter rainstorms and flooding occur almost every year in Jeddah, where residents have long decried poor infrastructure. According to Saudi civil defense authorities, numerous individuals were rescued from vehicles engulfed by floodwaters. A harrowing race against time unfolded as onlookers gathered to watch flash flood waters crash down King Abdullah Road in Hotat Bin Tamim, Saudi Arabia. The incident took place after heavy thunderstorms in the area brought localized flooding. Amidst this rushing water, a truck found itself caught in the middle of the waters, facing the brunt of the flash flood water’s wrath and narrowly escaping being carried away. In the video below, a lone truck is seen trapped by rapidly advancing floodwaters and accelerating to reach higher ground before being seconds away from being engulfed by the floods. The truck’s driver, surrounded by waters on both sides, can be seen piercing his way through the sand and competing against the waters to escape with his life. Ultimately, he made it through the waters and won the battle of life.
Not so successful
Next to Saudi is Kuwait and while they have sandy beaches the drivers are not necessarily as clever as those in Suadi. A driver at Abu Hasaniya Public Beach in Kuwait narrowly avoided disaster after a reckless joyride went wrong. The second video below shows a blue-and-white Toyota FJ Cruiser cruising slowly alongside the shore. Then our daredevil 34-year-old driver slams the accelerator, sending the SUV racing down the sandy beach. It appears he is trying to kick up some sand with a sharp 90 degree turn… BUT, the situation quickly spirals out of control as the vehicle spins out, launching into a series of violent rolling flips. Without a seatbelt, the driver is ejected through the open side window soaring roughly 16 feet through the air before landing in the shallow water of the Persian Gulf. Despite performing his several flips, the man emerged with only minor injuries, limping away from the scene. Luckily, the beach was relatively empty at the time of the accident, averting more serious accidents. The car, however, wasn’t as fortunate and was later towed away by local fire services, officials at the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorate seized the vehicle.
A funny thing happened on the way to my car crash
I was pulled over in Massachusetts for reckless driving.
When brought before the judge, I was asked if I knew what the punishment for drunk driving in that state was. I said, “I don’t know… reelection to the Senate?”
If I owned a DeLorean…I’d probably only drive it from time to time.
When the San Francisco police hauled a man into court for driving in a two-person minimum carpool lane, the man claimed his dog, riding shotgun, as a passenger. The motorist added that he was partially blind and the dogs barking warned him of approaching cars.
I put strobe headlights in my car to make the deer run slower.
Birthdays on April 5th
1970 – Thea Gill, 1983 – Hayley Atwell, 1990 – Lily James, 1909 – Bette Davis
1856 – Booker T. Washington, 1937 – Colin Powell, 1966 – Michael Irvin, 1973 – Pharrell Williams