American Bedu

Because there are limited opportunities and activities for young Saudi males to entertain and amuse themselves, they have made their own version of fun which includes Saudi drifting.  Saudi drifting is a new and very dangerous spin on joy riding.  Basically the young men will drive their car at a high rate of speed and then start turning the wheel sharply to the left or right forcing the car into a spin.  In many cases the car simply goes out of control and the young men consider this fun as well as a challenge or “show of manhood.”  Not surprisingly Saudi drifting has come with many accidents and fatalities and not just of the “drifters” themselves.  Many innocent bystanders (pedestrians) and other motorists have been hit by these out-of-control vehicles.  The drifters are not particular about where they choose to exhibit their skill and drift.  Highways, public streets and residential neighborhoods are all fair game.  Sadly the police usually come to investigate when it is too late and after the fact, either an accident has already occurred or the drifters have left the scene.

I was speaking with one Saudi friend who lives in a prestigious area of Riyadh.  She told me that their neighborhood streets became popular targets of drifters.  Part of the speculation was that the young men would drift on these streets on the chance of attracting the attention of young women who lived in the neighborhoods.  Finally after multiple complaints on the part of residents, the police finally set up multiple speed bumps as barriers to contain the drifters.

Drifters do not care what kind of car or whose car they may be driving.  All they want is the opportunity to drift.  One wonders whether the parents of these youth really have any idea what their sons are up to?

Filed under: Entertainment, Just for fun, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Sports | 62 Comments »