Birthdays and Christmas....

 

 

 

I hate bad manners.

 

Not the 1980's ska band with the bald outsized frontman Buster Bloodvessel.

 

But bad manners.

 

When you hold a door open fora stranger, and they brush past without the slighted "thank you", as if your only job is life was hold open the door to make their journey through it easier.

 

I was brought up to always use my please and thank you's, and I always do. I'll always send thank you cards after birthdays and Christmas (it might take a few weeks, but it will be done!). I always think it's the least I can do when someone has gone to all the trouble of remembering.

 

But my bugbear at the moment is the standard of driving, and lack of manners on the local roads, and in particular the seemingly growing trend for undertaking. That's passing the car in front on the inside left, rather than the outside right.

 

Whilst I understand there are moves afoot to make it legally acceptable, at present, it's currently discouraged in the UK.

 

And dangerous.

 

But more and more people seem to think it is acceptable.

 

Just last night, I had the driver of a van rap on my car window, mouthing off that I had dared to flash at him (just my lights) as he was undertaking me, even though I was already at the maximum allowed speed limit.

 

He was probably a nice guy, perhaps with a wife and young family, but for the few moments, he turned into a snarling, knuckle dragging, spluttering neanderthal. And yet, it was of his own doing. Not only was he undertaking, but he was doing it over the maximum speed limit (some people seem to think the speed limit signs are a MINIMUM not a MAXIMUM!)

 

He was in the wrong. Anybody that overtakes under normal driving conditions is in the wrong. Here's what the Highway Code has to see on the matter:

 

The Highway Code discourages undertaking on motorways with some exceptions (rule 268): "Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake". Undertaking is permitted in congested conditions when frequent lane changing is not recommended.On other roads, the Code advises drivers "should only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right" (rule 163). Rule 163 uses advisory wording and "will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted", but may be used in evidence to establishing liability in any court proceedings.

 

Like I said: I hate bad manners.