All this driving's making me mad! For the split seconds that I feel like Steve Wright's 'Mr Angry' character when I'm behind the wheel, I wonder what sort of person I'm facing as they pass towards me in flagrant disregard of the rules of the road.
Give way to oncoming traffic when the obstacle is on your side of the road.
Observe safe lane discipline - i.e. don't veer towards the white line in the middle of the road.
Dip, don't dazzle.
I'd have to look them up in the Highway Code, but that's what I was taught.
I was also taught to remember the three 'C's: Care, Courtesy and Caution. Not necessarily in that order. And these also apply well to most situations in life, not just driving...
So I reported the white van man in Faringdon the other week. He was turning right in front of me whilst I gave way at the roundabout. As he passed in front of me I noted (i) he'd not indicated and (ii) he was talking on his mobile phone and consequently was steering with one hand on the wheel (the other hand was holding his phone). OK. we've seen it before, and we'll see it again, but I thought a few choice words to myself, and noted his tagline on the rear of the vehicle 'Brian Hall, The Complete Builder'. 'Complete idiot' or words to that effect I thought to myself. I proceeded to follow him as the break in the traffic had allowed me in. A short way along the road he turned left abruptly, and I further observed (iii) his left indicator wasn't working, or he'd failed to use it, and (iv) two of his brake lights were out (his vehicle was equipped with three brake lights, the only one which worked was the smallest one at the top of the van)....
The above combination of poor driving provoked me into reporting his actions at the police station. I didn't have his licence plate number, as I was driving, and it was mostly obscured by dirt, but I had his name, and knew he was 'the Complete Builder'. Job done.
But what irritates me about this is that all the above was absolutely avoidable. It adds grist to the mill of the argument in favour of a system of re-testing drivers at regular intervals throughout their driving lives. Say every 10 or 15 years you re-take the driving test / a version of the test. If you fail or don't meet acceptable standards you're allowed to continue driving on a provisional licence and have to re-take the test within a certain timeframe, say 6 months. You could have further tutoring during this process.
I think this would (i) improve general driving standards (ii) provide employment - more tests = more testers required to examine the drivers (iii) improve safety of other road users as test failure would result in licences being revoked.
There, got that off my chest!
This morning whilst walking Roly in the park the moon was still high in the sky. Although the sun had got up, it looked like it wanted to go back to bed. The shadows of the trees were long in the tooth, but in this hemisphere at this time of the year that's what we get.
When I get home from picking Tom up from school, it's pitch dark and the hens have gone to bed. Well, they normally have. Tonight one of them had got separated from the rest - she'd broken into the area I've fenced off as it's been so wet - so she was still out when I went to close the pop-hole. All hands on deck, I got Phoebe to help, and Simon to hold the torch, and we went to catch the hen and put her to bed. The sky was clear, and the stars were all out, and I don't know how she'd have got on if I'd not noticed she was missing from the coop.... b r r r !
That's it for now, bed and hot water bottle beckoning.
Keep it sweet! Kat
Give way to oncoming traffic when the obstacle is on your side of the road.
Observe safe lane discipline - i.e. don't veer towards the white line in the middle of the road.
Dip, don't dazzle.
I'd have to look them up in the Highway Code, but that's what I was taught.
I was also taught to remember the three 'C's: Care, Courtesy and Caution. Not necessarily in that order. And these also apply well to most situations in life, not just driving...
So I reported the white van man in Faringdon the other week. He was turning right in front of me whilst I gave way at the roundabout. As he passed in front of me I noted (i) he'd not indicated and (ii) he was talking on his mobile phone and consequently was steering with one hand on the wheel (the other hand was holding his phone). OK. we've seen it before, and we'll see it again, but I thought a few choice words to myself, and noted his tagline on the rear of the vehicle 'Brian Hall, The Complete Builder'. 'Complete idiot' or words to that effect I thought to myself. I proceeded to follow him as the break in the traffic had allowed me in. A short way along the road he turned left abruptly, and I further observed (iii) his left indicator wasn't working, or he'd failed to use it, and (iv) two of his brake lights were out (his vehicle was equipped with three brake lights, the only one which worked was the smallest one at the top of the van)....
The above combination of poor driving provoked me into reporting his actions at the police station. I didn't have his licence plate number, as I was driving, and it was mostly obscured by dirt, but I had his name, and knew he was 'the Complete Builder'. Job done.
But what irritates me about this is that all the above was absolutely avoidable. It adds grist to the mill of the argument in favour of a system of re-testing drivers at regular intervals throughout their driving lives. Say every 10 or 15 years you re-take the driving test / a version of the test. If you fail or don't meet acceptable standards you're allowed to continue driving on a provisional licence and have to re-take the test within a certain timeframe, say 6 months. You could have further tutoring during this process.
I think this would (i) improve general driving standards (ii) provide employment - more tests = more testers required to examine the drivers (iii) improve safety of other road users as test failure would result in licences being revoked.
There, got that off my chest!
This morning whilst walking Roly in the park the moon was still high in the sky. Although the sun had got up, it looked like it wanted to go back to bed. The shadows of the trees were long in the tooth, but in this hemisphere at this time of the year that's what we get.
When I get home from picking Tom up from school, it's pitch dark and the hens have gone to bed. Well, they normally have. Tonight one of them had got separated from the rest - she'd broken into the area I've fenced off as it's been so wet - so she was still out when I went to close the pop-hole. All hands on deck, I got Phoebe to help, and Simon to hold the torch, and we went to catch the hen and put her to bed. The sky was clear, and the stars were all out, and I don't know how she'd have got on if I'd not noticed she was missing from the coop.... b r r r !
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| Paint your own impressionist lake! The wonders of zoom on a digital camera.... |
That's it for now, bed and hot water bottle beckoning.
Keep it sweet! Kat
