Traffic

It is getting way out of hand. Traffic in Riyadh is actually painful now. People in a hurry, angry and frustrated. Add to this SAHER! So, fear is added to the other emotions. No one dares to cross the light. Even if it is orange! That’s nice. But not always.
Today, near the Interior Ministry, two Difa Al Madani ( firefighters) trucks were right behind me, sirens and all. And in front of me were at least ten cars and a traffic signal that stays green for less than a minute. They flashed lights, shouted on the speaker, made loud noises- but no one dared to cross the signal. This was an emergency and the fear of a violation ticket was greater than concern for someone’s possible tragedy! These fire fighters were in a rush and no one cared to move for them. In such a case, breaking the signal is justified. There is no other choice.
It took at least a good 5 minutes for me to get to the signal, which was red now. I put the hazard lights on, pressed the horn and drove on and we moved!
I got two light flashes of thank you from the fire fighter behind me. People had to be forced to stop and people had to be forced to move!
What is the matter with drivers in Riyadh?
All the emotions: anger, hurry, fear and frustration in driving have caused “better judgement” to die , I guess!