For some reason unknown to me, there are an inordinate number of drivers in Abu Dhabi who insist on backing into their parking spaces.

Some people are really good at it – I saw one tiny woman whip an SUV the size of a Sherman tank backwards into one of those tricky spots at Al Wahda Mall without a whisper of hesitation. One minute she was several car lengths ahead of me, the next she was parked and striding away to Starbucks.

For all the parking aplomb this woman demonstrated, most drivers in Abu Dhabi are not so talented. The time they think they’re saving by backing in is lost inching backwards bit by bit, pulling forward and reversing as many as fifteen times to get it right.

Even worse, those drivers who can’t back in with confidence and grace can cause real trouble for the drivers behind them because they have to pass the space they want and then stop, interrupting the flow of traffic without giving any indication that that’s what they mean to do.

Practically no one in this city seems to see the benefit of leaving a bit of space between the front bumper of one car and the back end of another, so when these drivers back in, they often force several people to actually reverse into the flow of traffic.

Furthermore, when it’s time to leave and they go to pull out of their space, their brake lights – the ones that should indicate they’re about to once again interrupt the flow of traffic – are hidden against a wall so that no one can see that they’re about to pull out of the space. Their surprise entrance into the flow of traffic often ends in a slamming of brakes and squealing tires for everyone who has to stop suddenly to let them merge.

So if you don’t know how to back into a space without causing a multi-car pile-up behind you, just park facing forwards like the rest of us. You’ll save everybody a few more minutes.