Is a driving licence your most valuable card in the UAE?

It's not like you can't get around without one. Public transport works just fine. We're used to cabs and metros. But the problem arises when you want to head out of town for a road trip to, say, Liwa

Officially, an Emirates ID is the key to life in the UAE. But a driver's license is a ticket to freedom and an all-access pass to what the country really has to offer, from the rugged dunes of Liwa to the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah. 
Regrettably, I remain in the minority of people in this country who don't have a driver's license, and I'm now beginning to wonder what has taken me so long.
You might be wondering why some people - like me - don't drive.
For one, I came to the UAE with that oft-heard expat refrain in my head that I'd only be here for a year. I fully expected to be in and out of this country in 12 months or less, and at first I considered my move here more of a paid, exotic vacation than a permanent move. Why then, get a car?
This proved to be a wrong assumption. The weather agrees with me too much and I've turned into somewhat of a Dubai-enthusiast.
Additionally - and I suspect this is the case for many who come from Europe or North America - I just didn't think I would need one to get around. I really didn't in other cities in which I've lived. In London, for example, the entire city was no more than a hop on the Tube away, and in New York City, taxis seemed to magically appear before me with a wave of my hand.
The UAE, however, is a different animal, and after two years here, I'm left wondering why I don't drive. To people like me, many of the UAE's most beautiful places - such as Liwa Oasis or Fujairah's Al Badiyah Mosque - might as well be on the far side of the moon. I, and others like me, are living on a tiny island called Dubai.
Luckily for me - the holder of an American driving license - it won't be a challenge to trade it in for a local one, and soon enough, Inshallah, I'll no longer need to rely on rides to go explore.
Expat lore, however, is full of tear-filled tales of ultimately expensive failed driving tests. Ask anyone who's taken a driving test here.
Portuguese expat Brendan Lopes, for example, failed his Dubai driving test three times, and spent nearly Dh6,000 during his Herculean effort to hit the UAE's roads.
"The first and third time I took the test, I had the same instructor ," he recalled. "When I saw that he was with me for the third time, I knew I was going to fail."
"They are very strict about little things, and it's not my fault if I was taught wrong by the instructor," he added. "The second time I took the test, I failed because I was in the wrong lane at the junction. It's what I had learned from the instructor."
Another expat, an Australian national named Anika, failed a total of four times, spending Dh8,000 in the process.
"One time I was told I was driving too fast, but I was driving at the speed limit, but she failed me," Anika said.
"Another reason was that I didn't angle my side parking completely right, but it was still in the parking zone. The instructor thought it was too much and she failed me."
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), for its part, knows that repeated failures are an issue. They're reportedly working on ways to increase transparency and reduce the errors by instructors. In March, for example, the government entity announced the inauguration of a 'Smart Yard,' in which vehicles are fitted with powerful cameras and sensors linked to a central processor capable of capturing various kinds of information and automatically calculating the errors made.
The bottom line is, don't let fear dissuade you. With a lot of preparation and a little luck, you'll be on the UAE's roads in no time. It's time to see the rest of the country!
Bernd is a gizmo freak with a sweet tooth. He likes airplanes and shiny, blingy things
bernd@khaleejtimes.com
 

• UAE