Copyright © 2005, Donald Lee

Expat safety in Dubai

Several of our friends back home in the states have been concerned about our safety since we moved to Dubai. I wrote this article to give the current situation in 2004

My experience in Dubai has matched that of other expats I have spoken with - safety, in the sense of assault and terrorism against Americans and other westerners is simply not an issue. Emeratis appear to like Americans and the West in general (but not necessarily president Bush). This is understandable as a great deal of wealth has been generated in the past 50 years and Emeratis understand that their own fortune is tied closely with a strong relationship with the rest of the world. More importantly and unlike Saudi Arabia, the wealth has benefited all Emeratis and not just the royal family.

There is the occasional incident of petty crime. I had my bicycle stolen from my yard. It sat for a couple months unlocked so I really should have been more careful.

There is an unspoken problem with assaults and rapes against live-in Indonesian maids by their employer-family. This problem is taboo to report in the local papers but is well known to expats living in GCC countries. A related problem is the high suicide rate of maids. Among the Arab GCC countries, Dubai has the lowest incidence of nationals causing problems for non-westerners and in the UAE in particular, non-western expats can go to the police without fear of arrest for "causing trouble". Western expats are rarely troubled as they have a reputation of being outspoken and willing to push back when confronted.

Like any other place, violent crime does occasionally happen. In almost all cases these are crimes of passion committed among family, friends, and business deals gone sour.

What I have heard before coming here and experienced personally is that the roads are a source of danger. The number of deaths from road accidents is astonishingly high. The reason is twofold:

The high percentage of new drivers. Many expats in Arab GCC countries get their first opportunity to own a car. It is normal to see people in their 30's taking driving lessons in preparation for their first car purchase. Invariably, many new drivers are bound to make a couple mistakes. Since the percent of new drivers is so high, there is a high number of mistakes. On a positive note, the high incident of auto accidents has prompted Dubai to build a state of the art neuro-spinal hospital to deal with the many injuries.

Additionally, there is a fatalistic attitude about death. Many people believe their destiny is controlled by God. If God wills that there will be an accident, then it will happen. If an accident is not in my future then I will be safe. Either way, there is little that I can do to change what has already been willed by God.

BTW - the maximum legal speed limit for any highway in the UAE is 120 kph (75 mph), but police do not enforce speed limits, instead, there are cameras at fixed locations that take a photo if a speeder is detected. These camera's are in plain view and permanently affixed, so it only takes a couple weeks to memorize their locations.

My advice is not worry about crime or terrorism, but take precautions when on the road. Buy a large car or SUV with front and side air bags, wear your seatbelts, stay out of the left lane unless your willing to really move. Remember to keep an eye on your rear-view mirror for fast approaching cars when you're in the left lane.

Fixed speed trap. They normally trigger at 120 km/hour by taking your photo.