If you have an accident on that mortal road known as the Ring Road, you have to call one of your relatives or friends or ask any driver for help. In any case, you will wait for them less than for the police. Let me tell you this story which happened to me last Tuesday on that road. I got on my car at 11 p.m. at 6 of October City in order to go back to Cairo. Next to me was my friend Tarek Amin, while another friend of ours, Ahmed el-Khatib, sat in the rear seat as usual, as he generally prefers to have a nap in such cases. This time, though, he did not sleep. Suddenly, we came across a traffic jam on the Ring Road. We got off the car to see if we could give any help, especially as Tarek works at the Ministry of Health. We found out, though, that a fierce fighting was underway between three men on a van and a taxi driver. The object of the dispute was a girl whom the taxi driver claimed was his sister. When the fight was over, we got on the car again and resumed our trip. Once we left the Ring Road, though, we found another traffic jam. I managed to brake before I bumped into them, but a minibus bumped into me from behind and we also heard several other bumps. El-Khatib quickly got off the car and found out that the accident had been caused by the same taxi driver with the girl and the three men on the van trying to kidnap her. We immediately called the police, especially as the van had fled after stealing the keys of the taxi. As for the taxi driver, he was drunk. The police, though, did not show up. We kept on calling, especially as the microbus which had bumped into my car had fled, as well. I stayed there with the taxi driver, a microbus and some cars waiting for the impossible, namely the arrival of the police. When I called the police for the second time, the policeman told me I had to call Giza police, which I immediately did. Meanwhile, the taxi driver's brother arrived, saw how his brother was doing, started the car through the engine and went away. Tarek, el-Khatib and I kept waiting for the police. One hour after the accident, it finally arrived. The policeman, though, refused to get off his car and asked us to go to him. We were very angry and decided not to write the procès-verbal, as we did not think the police could do anything. By the way, I have the taxi and van numbers, if someone wants them. I think all the police might do in such occasions is to look for a shelter for the baby resulting from the rape of the woman, God forbid it! As the police did not arrive before they all went away, perhaps it may make it on time when this baby is born.
