The UAE is not unlike the U.S. — and much of the rest of the world — in this: Nearly everyone behind the wheel of a car will drive over the speed limit.

The UAE is also like the U.S. in this: It employs officers who are prepared to give you a ticket for speeding.

What is a bit different here, in Abu Dhabi, is that the police are becoming particularly stealthy in the eternal cat-and-mouse game. To the point that the mouse cannot rely on traditional defenses.

To wit:

Someone I Know was behind the wheel of a rental car the other day, an unobtrusive gray little Japanese make. Or maybe Korean. Heading for work.

Everyone rushes to work. To be on time, or to get there a bit early.

So, reaching the top of the Airport Road bridge that arches over 19th Street … Someone I Know noticed red and blue horizontal lights, strobing, in the grill of the vehicle behind. And Someone I Know was certainly over the posted speed limit of 60 kph, and also over the “speed limit in reality, generally” in the UAE, which often is 20 kph faster than what is posted — or 80 kph.

What made this not quite sporting, for those of us  drivers who can pick up a cop car from 100 yards off, is that the police in Abu Dhabi, some of them, have been outfitted in modern luxury cars, with tinted windows.

They look nothing like your regular police cruiser, a Crown Vic or some other boxy thing you might expect.

This one was a BMW 7 series. Navy or black. A dark color. A nice ride. And after flashing the lights, the BMW pulled alongside and motioned Someone I Know to follow him over to the side of the road, where we were about to be written up — along with another malefactor in an SUV. Yes, two scofflaws in one blow.

A guy got out of the passenger side of the Beamer, dressed in regular police togs, approached the window and said: “86”. As in “86 kph in a 60 kph zone”.

Well. Nothing to be done about it. The only annoying bit was we were the second car written up, which meant we sat waiting for the ticket a bit longer.

In the post-action discussion, it was remarked that BMWs with no outward markings, and with tinted glass which blocks anyone from seeing the police guys inside … doesn’t seem very sporting to us inveterate speeders, who expect a red light atop the hood and maybe a big, black push bar out front.

I remember when the California Highway Patrol branched out from their traditional black-and-whites and incorporated some white sedans, and even a few sorta beige models. That didn’t seem quite cricket, either. Do they still do that? Or are they so undermanned they have given up writing speeding tickets?

So, now Someone I Know waits to find out how expensive this will be. Maybe 300 dirhams? Maybe 600?

In the past few days, however, seeing more and more cars pulled over by luxury sedans, Someone I Know has become much more aware of the speed limit.