Lip service. My invitation? Lost in the mail.

Yeah. Imagine that. Who would have guessed I wouldn't be invited to speak at the conference where more than "350 security professionals from military, police, public security systems and in private sector [sic] and directors of petroleum and industrial companies, academics, students and various government departments will discuss the new traffic system" that will be held on November 25th. I could have saved everyone involved a whole lot of planning and time and expense if someone would have just asked me. No one ever does...

You want to eliminate road carnage and population control on the roads, streets and highways in the Sandbox? Quit talking about it and actually do something, then.

For starters, have the police - or traffic police - or whatever entity is charged with the responsibility of enforcing road rules - actually STOP the perpetrators. You know who they are - the perpetrators - we know who they are and they know who they are. Oh. And, by the way, they are NOT all expats! Issue tickets. Make the point system work. Institute a system of heavy fines. Throw the repeat offenders in jail and confiscate their cars. Trust me. By doing this you'll increase this country's revenues tenfold. Maybe you don't need the money now, but if oil ships continue to be hi-jacked and $10,000,000 ransoms are going to be paid, you're going to need the money eventually.

Next, eliminate once and for all the system where if someone gets stopped then they call someone who can get them out of their predicament. What's it called? Wasta??? When someone is stopped for speeding or running a red-light or whatever their traffic offense might be, issue the ticket right then and there. If they want to call on someone else later on to get them out of the "alleged" offense, let it happen at the same time they appear in Court. Just a suggestion. But don't you think that if someone is calling someone to get out of something that that just proves and oozes guilt?

Give the traffic patrolmen vehicles equipped for their jobs. The traffic patrol cars are the only vehicles in the Sandbox that are twenty-something years old. Everyone - and I do mean almost everyone - else is driving a car that was manufactured in the last six months. Install video cameras in the traffic patrol cars. Give those officers the authority to actually do the job which they have been employed to do.

If you actually adhered to all of the rules and regulations and laws that are implemented, instead of spending time talking about them over tea, coffee and crumpets, the roads here would be much, much safer for ALL of us!

There. Wasn't that helpful? No need for a conference. You're welcome. All you had to do was ask me...

UPDATE: Angry in Oman has generously posted "Driving Lessons" at her site. Of course, her version applies only to Omani drivers. If you are going to be a "highway superstar" here in the Sandbox, you have to do everything she lists but do twice as recklessly and at least three times faster!