The Fear Factor in Cairo Driving

In order to be able to drive safely in Cairo you must understand the fear factor which control the dynamics of driving in the streets of Cairo.

Fear Factor
As a driver, the more fear you are able to instill in the hearts of other drivers around you the easier it would be for you to drive and the safer your overall driving experience wold be.

Assumption

The underlying assumption behind this rule is that if other drivers fear you, they will try to stay away from you, will not come too close to your car, will leave enough space between their cars and yours, will wait until you pass first and will not annoy you in any thinkable way.

Applications

Application of the fear law would lead us to a number of conclusions. You can make others fear you using any of the following methods:

• Law of Size: The larger your vehicle is the greater fear it wold instill the hearts of other drivers who are driving vehicles of smaller size. According to this sub-rule, a truck would instill the largest amount of fear in the hearts of other drivers and thus would gain the highest degree of respect followed by buses then micro-buses then large cars and finally small cars.
• Skill Level: Your driving skill can have a direct relationship with how 'adventurous' you are in driving. The more driving skill you have the more adventurous you can be and thus the more feared you are by other drivers. That is way taxi drivers get the most respect due to their high skill level. Also micro-bus drivers manage to get and extremely high respect rate due to their adventurous driving style.
• Clumsiness: Although novice drivers who drive slowly and are so afraid to take any risks while driving instill the least amount of fear in other drivers and are often taken advantage of (which makes driving even the more difficult for them), yet some unskilled novice drivers are at the same time bold and risk takers. This combination of lack of skill combined with risk taking often results in dangerous and somewhat clumsy driving. Usually such kind of driver is highly feared even by the experienced skillful drivers (for instance the taxi drivers). Upon observing his dangerous clumsy (and often fearless) driving style, other drivers try to avoid him and stay away from him. This kind of driver also instill a high level of fear into the hearts of others.

Speed Factor

Aside from the fear part of the story, speed can also matter in getting others off your back and enjoying a 'safer' ride.

When you are driving slow, all cars try to pass you by, they try to overtake you or keep honking behind you making your furious and thus decreasing your ability to drive safely. On the other hand, if you are driving fast, you will not suffer from anyone honking behind your back or attempting to overtake you. You will also be able to easily change lanes and go in and out of intersections with ease.

Lesson #1: Drive a Large Car

If you are no truck, bus, micro-bus or taxi driver, then you better get a large SUV or the largest (in terms of length, breads and height) vehicle you can afford to buy. This would be your best bet of using the fear law to your advantage.

Lesson #2: Take Initiative

Next, try always to take initiative and show drivers around you that you are skilled in driving. Never become a passive driver. Taking initiative, taking the lead and showing that you are a go-getter makes others relax letting you do what you want and always giving you priority.

Lesson #3: Drive with Speed

Try always to take the lead and be among the fastest cars around if not the fastest.