Driving me to road rage!
There are two problems prevalent among local
drivers that are driving me to the brink of road rage. One is forgetting one of
the most fundamental rules of driving in the UK and the other is a strange
disconnection between the driver's hand and the indicator stalk!
Driving is stressful enough these days without your
fellow motorists adding to your blood pressure levels. We all know that anger
and frustration causes accidents (probably more so than speed), so let's be a
little more considerate.
In Britain we drive on the left. "Keep Left" is the rule of our roads.
I mention that because so many drivers seem to be unaware of this fundamental principle of our motoring rules and regulations.
The people I am referring to are those who seem to believe that the two lanes on dual carriageways are available for their exclusive use at their very whim.
The problem is particularly severe on the dual carriageway from Kingswells to Westhill, where drivers who are planning to turn right at the Westhill roundabout consider it is perfectly satisfactory to sit in the overtaking lane for several miles cruising at 50 or 60 mph.
The right hand lane should only be used:
1. for overtaking (after which you are required to return to the nearside lane)
2. when you are actually in the process of positioning yourself for, or executing a right turn (not two or three miles before you plan to turn right).
The inevitable result of such ignorance or selfishness is that following drivers doing a legal 70mph (legal after the 50mph limit at Kingswells, that is) find themselves obstructed, or are tempted to make an illegal overtaking manoeuvre on the left. (Overtaking on the left is ONLY permitted in slow moving lane traffic or when the vehicle in the right hand lane is about to turn right.)
In Australia they recognise that inappropriate hogging of overtaking lanes is the cause of much frustration and, thereby, accidents. They have therefore erected signs on their dual carriageways which say "Keep left, except when overtaking - penalty $1,500". Oh, for similar signs to be erected on our North-east roads!
Don't believe there could be law to penalise obstruction of the overtaking lane? There is - the offence, surprise surprise, is obstruction!
Then as promised, a final tirade against those drivers who have neither the strength nor the inclination to use that stalk (usually on the left side of the steering column) which the manufacturers have kindly put there to replace telepathy as a means of communicating your intention to other road users.
You know the situation. You are sitting at a roundabout when the car on the roundabout is not signalling. You assume he or she is being lazy and is going straight on, but not bothering to signal left. Then just as you start to ease the clutch he or she swings round into your path! Grrrr!
Or the other frightening type of driver who is so switched off to what's happening around them that they do not see the need to signal their intention to move over and overtake on a dual carriageway. Grrrr again!
Both examples above - hogging the overtaking lane and being too lazy to flick the indicators - are examples of total discourtesy and lack of consideration for other road users.
Let's take some of the emphasis off nabbing people for speeding on open dual carriageways and switch some of it back to driver education and stamping out bad, road-rage inducing habits!
In Britain we drive on the left. "Keep Left" is the rule of our roads.
I mention that because so many drivers seem to be unaware of this fundamental principle of our motoring rules and regulations.
The people I am referring to are those who seem to believe that the two lanes on dual carriageways are available for their exclusive use at their very whim.
The problem is particularly severe on the dual carriageway from Kingswells to Westhill, where drivers who are planning to turn right at the Westhill roundabout consider it is perfectly satisfactory to sit in the overtaking lane for several miles cruising at 50 or 60 mph.
The right hand lane should only be used:
1. for overtaking (after which you are required to return to the nearside lane)
2. when you are actually in the process of positioning yourself for, or executing a right turn (not two or three miles before you plan to turn right).
The inevitable result of such ignorance or selfishness is that following drivers doing a legal 70mph (legal after the 50mph limit at Kingswells, that is) find themselves obstructed, or are tempted to make an illegal overtaking manoeuvre on the left. (Overtaking on the left is ONLY permitted in slow moving lane traffic or when the vehicle in the right hand lane is about to turn right.)
In Australia they recognise that inappropriate hogging of overtaking lanes is the cause of much frustration and, thereby, accidents. They have therefore erected signs on their dual carriageways which say "Keep left, except when overtaking - penalty $1,500". Oh, for similar signs to be erected on our North-east roads!
Don't believe there could be law to penalise obstruction of the overtaking lane? There is - the offence, surprise surprise, is obstruction!
Then as promised, a final tirade against those drivers who have neither the strength nor the inclination to use that stalk (usually on the left side of the steering column) which the manufacturers have kindly put there to replace telepathy as a means of communicating your intention to other road users.
You know the situation. You are sitting at a roundabout when the car on the roundabout is not signalling. You assume he or she is being lazy and is going straight on, but not bothering to signal left. Then just as you start to ease the clutch he or she swings round into your path! Grrrr!
Or the other frightening type of driver who is so switched off to what's happening around them that they do not see the need to signal their intention to move over and overtake on a dual carriageway. Grrrr again!
Both examples above - hogging the overtaking lane and being too lazy to flick the indicators - are examples of total discourtesy and lack of consideration for other road users.
Let's take some of the emphasis off nabbing people for speeding on open dual carriageways and switch some of it back to driver education and stamping out bad, road-rage inducing habits!
Posted: Thu - December 4, 2003 at 10:47 AM
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Published On: May 17, 2007 01:49 PM
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Published On: May 17, 2007 01:49 PM