Tuesday 20 January 2009

Road Rage (mine this time)

That's what I nearly had tonight. I can see why people, in a fit of pique, lose their rag and do something they regret. Personally, I was so stunned by what happened, I just didn't react apart from shouting 'Idiot'.
I was at the T junction at the end of Beech Street. This place is a magnet for bad driving. It's where I see cars turning right at the no right turn and people without seat belts driving whilst on their mobile phones. I was just about to pull out when a car approaching from behind pipped his horn. I wondered who he could be sounding off at but figured whatever it was, it was behind me. It made me cautious so I didn't pull out so quickly to turn right (for those in right hand drive countries, you need to transpose all the left and rights to get the drift of this). It was a good job I didn't because the driver (a small chap wearing a fez in a silver Toyota Corolla) just drove straight across the front of me turning left down Maple Street. My front wheel was barely inches from the side of his car and me barely spared ending up in a crumpled mess under his wheels.

I didn't have the wherewithal to chase after him to the lights at Bastwell. I should have got his number and reported him for dangerous driving. When will I learn? I really think I need that head cam like Jeff. I was still shaking when I got home.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean, whenever I'm cut up by these morons behind a wheel, I'm shellshocked into disbelief that such completely incapable idiots are driving on the same roads as us. Now that's not to say we, the cyclists are perfect, but they, the car drivers are manipulating real weapons of destruction, and should pay more attention to what is going on around their vehicle. It's as if cyclists exist in their blindspot.