Category - General

I mentioned a week or two ago that Aviva had put the RAC up for sale. They’re asking a pretty penny for it, as well. An offer of around £1 billion would secure an immediate sale.

Aviva paid £1.1 billion six years ago – but they also took on existing debts and liabilities for pensions. The article here says that they may have to keep hold of £300 million worth of pension liabilties when they sell.

When Aviva bought the RAC the deal included BSM and Auto Windscreens – both of which were sold off for something between £500-600 million.

Let’s just remind ourselves what has happened to BSM (bought by Aviva, screwed, sold, screwed again, sold again) and Auto Windscreens (in administration). I’m not sure how well Lex Vehicle Leasing (also sold) is doing.

I’m sure there is a lesson to be learnt here about buyouts, particularly from those who have now lost their jobs.

After that story about the Chinese authorities cracking down and bad driving, right on cue comes a story from the UK to illustrate why we ought to be taking the problem a little more seriously as well.

Kelly Spencer was banned from driving as a result of a 40 mile journey at around 1.50pm in the afternoon, which saw her weaving across 3 lanes of traffic. Other cars were having to brake and dust was being thrown up as she careered along the M5 near Exeter. Police in an unmarked car had to keep other motorists back. At one stage, she nearly missed a junction and narrowly avoided the barrier. She eventually failed to corner properly on a minor road and ended up in a driveway.

She blamed being tired.

Her defence claimed she was exhausted after caring for her sick child and hadn’t realised how tired she was and how badly she was driving.

In my opinion, they always use the emotional card in court – if it isn’t a sick child it’s being pregnant, or splitting up with a partner.

Fortunately, the judge is one of the few still of this earth, and he wasn’t having any of it:

Judge Erik Salomonsen told the defendant: “The circumstances are almost incredible that anyone could have driven in such a condition and not realised.”

Yes, they are incredible. Almost as incredible as the excuses, and the additional “responsible job, good character, not been in trouble before” nonsense.

Even more incredible is the fact that Spencer had travelled with her husband to Somerset to pick up a new car. She drove the new car, and he the old one. It was during the journey back that the incidents described happened. You’d have thought he might have noticed something, wouldn’t you? But he was “unaware” of events.

The only problem is she has been banned for a paltry 18 months. This where the Chinese have the right idea with lifetime bans.

Someone who is unable to identify that they are too tired to stand up should never be allowed near a car again.

I’ve been tired in the car on motorways before, and one thing I do know is that once you have to start thinking again on minor roads (or the busy motorway), you wake right up. It is the motorway at night which is the biggest problem – when it is quiet. It’s then that you get off and get some fresh air and something to drink (of find somewhere to sleep).

You’d have to be almost comatose for it to happen in the daytime, on a weekday afternoon. So much so that you probably wouldn’t be able to even open the car or get in it!

This story in the Daily Mail says that millions are driving “almost blind” because of hay fever.

In a way, it’s yet another statement of the blindingly obvious – like saying that if people have a ruptured appendix or a broken leg then they are not going to be driving up to par. But they do have a point… of sorts.

I hate it when I sneeze in the car when I’m driving. I always have, because you can’t help close your eyes when the spasm occurs. When I’m on a lesson and it happens I say to the pupil “don’t do anything wrong for a minute. I’m going to sneeze”.

When they have a sneezing fit, I’ll usually take hold of the wheel just in case.

I can sneeze any time during the year – nothing to do with hay fever – but I do find that early in the spring the tree pollen makes it a little worse. I don’t get runny eyes or anything, and I use Pollenase occasionally, which does help.

Some people get it really bad, though, and it is really debilitating. I know one of my pupils tried Pollenase and reckoned it was a miracle cure for him.

But this story is just a publicity thing – this time by Halfords. You can have regular sneezing fits with certain types of cold (often in winter), or if someone is wearing a certain perfume. Sneezing has always been a potential problem, and I can remember at least one accident being reported as being due to someone doing it.

It seems to be the month for stating the bloody obvious.

Here’s yet another one – this time telling us that if you have bad eyesight and don’t do something about it then your driving ability will be impaired.

Hands up all those who didn’t know that.

I’m convinced that this one is a recently discovered and previously unseen Monty Python sketch, though. The site link I have posted sells contact lenses, and it has leapt upon this story – originally sourced from fleetdirectory.co.uk – and even transposed words to give greater significance to contact lenses in it.