Indian woman says Dubai road rule left her confused in India: ‘I was waiting for the driver to stop’

An Indian woman shared how Dubai’s road rules had changed the way she crossed streets.

An Indian woman living in Dubai has highlighted a simple traffic rule that, she says, completely changed the way she crosses roads. In a video shared on Instagram, Anushka compared pedestrian behaviour in Dubai with her experience in India, explaining how becoming accustomed to motorists stopping for people at crossings nearly landed her in trouble back home.

An Indian woman said she had grown used to cars stopping for pedestrians while living in Dubai. (Instagram/anushkaa.sobha)

‘Cars stopped the moment they saw me’

In the video, Anushka can be seen crossing a road in Dubai as vehicles come to a halt to allow her to pass. She jokingly points out how normal the practice has become for her while reflecting on the confusion she experienced after carrying the same habit to India.

"Because of this one rule in Dubai, I’ve narrowly avoided getting into an accident so many times in India. Which rule? I'll show you. Look at this - I'm crossing the road, and these cars stopped the moment they saw me. All of them. Brother, why? Keep driving straight, honk right over my head, blow your horn- why have you stopped? Now, because we've developed such a bad habit here, we don't even look while crossing the street because we know the car will stop. That’s what I was doing in India. And there, what I've had to hear from people... like, 'Why are you standing in the middle of the road?' Because I'm waiting for the driver in front of me to stop, while he's thinking that I will stop. This is Dubai."

Dubai habit followed her to India

Sharing the clip, Anushka explained that living in Dubai had made her so accustomed to pedestrian-friendly road behaviour that she momentarily forgot traffic dynamics could be very different elsewhere.

The caption read: "Living in Dubai changes you… especially your road-crossing habits! In Dubai, I got so used to cars stopping for pedestrians that I forgot India has a completely different traffic game. One innocent road crossing, a lot of angry drivers, and a lesson I definitely won’t forget!"

Watch the clip here:

Her light-hearted comparison struck a chord with social media users, many of whom focused on pedestrian safety and the importance of disciplined driving.

Internet reacts

Reacting to the video, one user wrote, “This is how pedestrian safety should work.” Another said, “Dubai road discipline is on another level.” A third person commented, “Pedestrians really get priority there,” while another added, “This is why traffic discipline is so important.”