I got hit-and-run in traffic this morning. By a local woman. In a white Range Rover Sport Supercharged. With the license plate "480" (in other words - the plate was more expensive than the car, and that ain't a cheap car).
The best part was she totally did it intentionally - I had been trying to get her to let me over earlier, and this made her mad for some reason (she actually rolled down the window and was yelling at me in Arabic), and then we ended up next to each other in traffic a couple minutes later. When the light changed, I had more space to move forward than she did, which she didn't like, so she cut the wheel about 90 degrees and gunned forward to try and hop over into my lane ahead of me, but missed, and hit my bumper instead. And then floored it through the next light and disappeared into traffic.
Luckily, my car is fine, and although I heard the terrible terrible "crunch" I can only find a tiny scratch on my bumper, so she must have borne the brunt of the damage. But honestly. What is wrong with people?!
Needless to say, an event like this dredges up a lot of emotions about living in a place that's ruled by a privileged minority who's completely above the law... but then again, it's their country, and I'm a guest here, and I'm here by choice, and if I don't like it I can leave. And I guess - although it offers little consolation - that's the way I need to look at it.
So... viva Dubai. Grrrr.
