This is an OLD article, from way before I got my dashcam. Nowadays, I am able to record these behaviours and send them to the police.
I was on my way to a lesson yesterday afternoon. I’d stopped at traffic lights in Ruddington with a blue-grey Audi behind me (one of the “look how big a tosser I am” Audis, reg. no. RV07 WVK),. The lights went green and I moved away.
However, as I moved off an ambulance appeared from one of the side roads. I gestured to him that I’d seen him, then indicated left and pulled over on the other side of the crossing. He turned my way and went past – but as I moved off, the dickhead driving the Audi also used the opportunity to overtake where there was no space to do so, and tailgate the ambulance along the A60. They just have to do it, don’t they? And I’m sorry, but nine times out of ten its just has to be someone in an Audi.
Anyway, Mr Dickhead in the Audi followed the A60 towards West Bridgford, and this meant negotiating the Nottingham Knight roundabout. Now, a black Mercedes (reg no. KR07 UAO) had pulled out in front of me and was between me and Mr Dickhead. It was going rather slowly, and considerably below the 60mph speed limit on that stretch. At the roundabout it went into the middle lane – that’s a left-only lane (the right-hand one of two). I went into the lane to the extreme right – they only one marked for straight-ahead. As I pulled on to the roundabout – which is busy at the best of times as it cuts the A52 – the moron in the Mercedes just indicated and cut across to go ahead!
A few years ago – when that roundabout was on the West Bridgford test centre test routes – it was the scene of many a fail for those who couldn’t handle it. What’s really frightening, though, is the sheer number of people who allegedly have licences and yet who cannot deal with this, or any other roundabout properly.
As if to illustrate the point further, I was on my way to a lesson this morning along the Ring Road. On the approach to the Crown Island (or Raleigh roundabout, as it is sometimes still known), one of those dirty white roll-up light goods vans (reg. no. VA04 NOH) was in the left-hand lane. Right at the last minute – literally, within about 30 metres of the traffic lights – he indicated right, forced everyone to slow down, and cut across three lanes of traffic to get into the right-hand lane (which goes right, towards the City). However, he then used the inside lanes of the roundabout to get ahead of a few cars, because once we got back on to the Ring Road, there he was in the right-hand lane. And he still pulled back over to the left, causing everyone to slow down again.
The traffic on the roundabout at that time was fairly light. so I can only assume his lane weaving was down to absolute incompetence rather than arrogance, because he’d have got over quicker by staying where he was (and inconvenienced dozens fewer people).
And finally, after having completed that lesson I was going to, I was heading along the A60 again towards Ruddington and there was Brown Suzuki Swift (reg. no. FN61 ZKD) in front of me. As we approached the Nottingham Knight roundabout, she just drove straight on to it and then stopped in the middle to wait for a space before carrying on! As I said earlier, this roundabout cuts the A52, and people come flying on to it at close to 70mph sometimes. She was playing Russian roulette – almost certainly without being aware of the fact.
Part of me wonders how the hell they get away with it. They obviously can’t driver properly, and yet there they are, driving like idiots amongst those of us who can. But then another part of me remembers that it is those of us who can who usually prevent accidents from happening. And the final part of me knows that they often don’t get away with it – albeit often with innocent drivers suffering as a result.
The driving test needs to be much harder. And as a Pass Plus pupil was asking me yesterday, why aren’t they re-tested every 10 years?
My answer to that was that no one would ever have the guts to do it, because unless you had very low standards (making the whole exercise pointless) you’d be taking licences away from a huge percentage of the population, most of whom would have weasely excuses about “needing to get around” or “driving for a living” – and the human rights activists would have a field day.