Buckle up

摘要

As anyone who has ever set foot in Lebanon knows, the country's drivers are a force to be feared. Motorists on the winding mountain roads think nothing of overtaking on a blind corner, at twice the speed limit. Keeping up-to-date with phone messages is a must, in the driver's seat or otherwise. Seat belts? Often still covered in plastic wrapping. Little wonder then that three months after a tough new law on driving came into force it is still the topic of conversation around Beirut, the traffic-clogged capital. As regulations go, this one is particularly stringent. Status-enhancing yet dangerous manoeuvres, such as driving a motorbike on one wheel, can entail a fine of up to 3m Lebanese pounds ($2,000) and even time behind bars. Dark-tinted windows are banned. Children under ten cannot be taken on motorcycles, thereby outlawing one of the region's favourite modes of family transport. Learner drivers must take proper lessons rather than being taught by relatives, themselves home-schooled in the art of dodging pedestrians and potholes.