Yemen: On the road

"You're much more likely to die in a traffic accident than get caught up in a terrorist attack," said a friend, who works here as a private security consultant.

If you've ever found your taxi driver hurtling the wrong way down a dual carriageway or seen little boys behind the wheel of their dad's car struggling to see over the dashboard, you'll know you're on the road in Yemen.

A recent article in the Yemen Times reported 43 deaths and 396 injuries in traffic accidents in a single week.

But Yemen's first metered taxi company in the capital has opted for a 'safety first' approach. Taxi Raha runs a fleet of 500 canary yellow cars, with seatbelts and tiny TVs installed over the back seats. You can watch Tom & Jerry cartoons during the journey, if you can bear to take your eyes off the road.

Raha drivers are only admitted after passing a company test and they're issued with a uniform. They're banned from wearing the thoub (white robe), mashadda (turban) or jambiyya (curved ceremonial dagger) favoured by most men in Sana'a.

Raha drivers are fined 2,500 Yemeni rials ($12.50) if they're spotted smoking or chewing qat.

I asked team leader Mohammed ash-Shaiba if I could join the crew. "Sorry, no women drivers," he said.