It poured down rain recently in Houston and the effect it caused reminded me exactly of what it is like when you get that infrequent downpour in Saudi Arabia. Just like Saudi Arabia, the streets in Houston have inefficient drainage systems. As a result, the roads will quickly flood. Because it rains so few times in Saudi Arabia it is easy to forget or not necessarily the roads do not have water drains. Before you know it, the rain puddles up on the road and then particularly in tunnels and inclined areas a flash flood can occur quickly. A driver may be on a roadway in Saudi in the rain with the rain coming down hard. He may have little to know difficulty initially in navigating the straight roadway but in a sudden dip or tunnel, the rain will have likely collected causing many vehicles to hydraplane or go out of control. Not surprisingly during those rare rainstorms, traffic will become a clogged mess and at some places it will halt to a virtual standstill. I guess drivers in Saudi Arabia have not had enough experience or exposure to driving in rainstorms.
It is also worth noting that when it is lightly sprinkling in Saudi Arabia some of the roads will then have the same effect as if oil had been spilled on the road. The road in turn becomes very slick and again causing a number of accidents.
However, rain is always welcomed in Saudi Arabia but when it does rain, just remember to exercise additional caution while on the roadways.
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