An annoying reality of life in Abu Dhabi, especially at the south/east end of the island, is the horn-honking drive-by drivers.

In several neighborhoods here, guys pull up in their land yachts and wait for employees of coffee shops, restaurants and even groceries.

That leads to gridlock in the streets outside those businesses, many of which are located on the ground floor of residential towers, and the gridlocked “drive-by” consumers almost instantly begin leaning on their horns if someone has blocked their ability to drive off.

I wrote about this in our first month here, because this goes on just below us. I can sleep through much of it. Others cannot.

The point of the story?

Perhaps there oughta be a law.

It is not illegal for consumers to pull up outside a cafe and sit in their cars waiting for their coffee. Even if they are blocking traffic.

The story in The National noted the arrival of a Lebanese restaurant at this end of the island, with enormous impact on residents who had been living in peace.

The new resto, though, is famous for its curbside service at its other locales, and as soon as it opened here, the behavior was replicated.

The National found a family from Jordan that plans to move out when their lease expires because their apartment is just above the restaurant, which is often overrun by impatient guys in cars, blowing their horns for service — or to get someone to move out of their way.

The mother of the family said: “Putting the children to bed can already be difficult. So imagine adding noise to the mix. Sometimes the kids start complaining that the honking is too loud and they can’t fall asleep.”

The parents rise at 6 a.m., and the resto is open until 3 a.m. “So, essentially you get no sleep,” the husband said.

Why don’t the guys in the cars just park and walk inside? Basically, because it might involve a short walk, and that’s too much effort.

The manager of the Lebanese restaurant said: “They don’t want to bother themselves to come in … You have to think of the people living in this area. But they don’t think; they are just pressing the horn.”