Why has the standard of driving become so bad? Is everyone trying to get on the ‘bad driving’ TV programmes? Recently I’ve lost count of the times I have been overtaken when driving at the limit in 30 and 40 mph zones. I almost expect to it to happen now. The local police staked out a road in one of our villages recently and clocked someone travelling at 68 mph in a 30 mph area. And someone told me of another driver caught locally doing 80 something in a 30 mph street. Last Sunday in the village we were saying goodbye outside the church where a car was parked on the road – legally, on a straight stretch – and were approached from both directions by cars travelling at least at 30 mph. Neither slowed and somehow managed to squeeze by each other opposite the parked car (which had a passenger in it). This in a road where you have to pull over a bit to allow a bus or lorry going in the opposite direction a polite and safe amount of space. The three of us standing on the pavement – all drivers – stood open-mouthed and unbelieving at what we’d just seen. And it’s become quite normal for me to be overtaken on country roads by cars doing 70 or 80 mph.
And another thing…
Why do people drive so close to you? I can be travelling at 55-60 mph and the driver behind me decides that a gap that would just about be OK at 30 mph is perfectly safe. Even when there is a continuous stream of traffic in the opposite direction they insist on following for miles at ‘overtaking’ distance behind me. I have three strategies, in order of deployment: put my left foot on the brake pedal so that the brake light comes on which works about 70% of the time; slowly adjust the speed to fit the gap which they get annoyed at but if they insist at driving at that distance then I’ll drive at the appropriate speed; pull over when that is possible and let them go by. The last choice is when I am scared of the driving behind – which happens much more than it used to. If I can’t see the number plate of the car behind in my rear view mirror then it is usually far too close. The other day I missed a turning because the car behind was so close – the driver apparently blind to anyone other than him/herself – that it would have hit me had I braked to slow for the turning. Years ago someone drove into the back of me and maybe I am a bit more twitchy about it as a result but even so…
And yet another thing…
Why do so many people drive around on clear nights with their front fog lights on? I’ve got them and you have to make a positive decision to put them on. Isn’t it still illegal to have them on unless the driving conditions warrant it?
Why are so many headlights badly adjusted?
Why are the headlights of SUVs at just the right height so that their reflection in the rearview mirror blinds you when the SUV is driven close behind, as it often is?
And why are cars travelling in an unpredictable or eccentric manner always driven by men wearing hats? This has puzzled me for many years…
And another thing…
Why do people drive so close to you? I can be travelling at 55-60 mph and the driver behind me decides that a gap that would just about be OK at 30 mph is perfectly safe. Even when there is a continuous stream of traffic in the opposite direction they insist on following for miles at ‘overtaking’ distance behind me. I have three strategies, in order of deployment: put my left foot on the brake pedal so that the brake light comes on which works about 70% of the time; slowly adjust the speed to fit the gap which they get annoyed at but if they insist at driving at that distance then I’ll drive at the appropriate speed; pull over when that is possible and let them go by. The last choice is when I am scared of the driving behind – which happens much more than it used to. If I can’t see the number plate of the car behind in my rear view mirror then it is usually far too close. The other day I missed a turning because the car behind was so close – the driver apparently blind to anyone other than him/herself – that it would have hit me had I braked to slow for the turning. Years ago someone drove into the back of me and maybe I am a bit more twitchy about it as a result but even so…
And yet another thing…
Why do so many people drive around on clear nights with their front fog lights on? I’ve got them and you have to make a positive decision to put them on. Isn’t it still illegal to have them on unless the driving conditions warrant it?
Why are so many headlights badly adjusted?
Why are the headlights of SUVs at just the right height so that their reflection in the rearview mirror blinds you when the SUV is driven close behind, as it often is?
And why are cars travelling in an unpredictable or eccentric manner always driven by men wearing hats? This has puzzled me for many years…
(There, I feel better now...)
No comments:
Post a Comment