By Majd Othman
KUWAIT: Driving in Kuwait has become a burden for many motorists, who are forced to regularly repair their vehicles a result of the dilapidated roads that drivers have been suffering from for years in Kuwait. Dangerous potholes on highways, steep turns, bad asphalt mixes, flying gravel and damaged streets in many areas of Kuwait lead to frequent car accidents. Recent statistics published by the interior ministry reveal that among the main causes of horrific car accidents in Kuwait are the poor road infrastructure and reckless drivers, with eight traffic accidents occurring every hour in Kuwait.
The problem worsens in winter, when flying gravel becomes a regular occurrence due to rain that loosens the outer layer of the asphalt as a result of bad asphalt mixing. The issue is compounded by negative behaviors of some drivers, who exceed the speed limit, which leads to flying gravel. On most roads, especially highways, gravel gathers on the side lanes, where reckless drivers speed insanely, affecting other motorists. Meanwhile, action toward this problem and response by relevant authorities are still inadequate.
The ministry of public works had launched a tender to submit offers by construction companies to repair the country’s roads, and while it has received offers from a number of international companies represented by foreign countries, it still hasn’t approved any bid yet. Kuwait Times visited a number of car repair garages and asked them about the rise in the number of vehicles damaged due to the poor condition of roads. Ali Mohammad, who works in a car repair shop in Shuwaikh, said in the last couple of years, he has dealt with motorists seeking to repair their vehicles almost daily due to accidents with other cars as a result of potholes in the streets.
He said this increased demand has also resulted in a slight increase in prices, causing more suffering to drivers. Mohammad added cars are also damaged when visiting camping areas, as the streets there are extremely broken. A Kuwaiti man who drives an SUV told Kuwait Times that even his car that is designed for off-roading was damaged badly due to a big pothole on a highway. He said he has spent more the KD 300 on repairs until now only for replacing the tyres, which are expensive, calling on agencies to provide customers special prices until the streets are repaired.
An expat woman who drives a sedan said she was forced to change her tyres and windshield after two separate accidents. "Despite the fact I was driving at the speed limit, I was surprised by a medium-sized pothole on a main highway, which ruptured one tyre and damaged another. This cost me KD 90, not to mention changing the windshield due to flying gravel, which messed up my budget,” she rued. All the garages Kuwait Times visited stressed the damaged streets are placing a huge burden on car owners, who are forced to spend huge amounts of money to repair their cars.
Abdullah Al-Hamad, a customer who was visiting an expensive automotive shop to repair his car, said he had bought the vehicle to ship it to the UK, where he is studying. But only three days after buying his sports car (which sits close to the ground), a pothole in Salmiya caused a crack in the car’s body. "This cost me hundreds of dinars,” he lamented.