Dear Crazy Drivers…

Dear Crazy Drivers,

Yes you – you know who I mean, you were tailgating me as we went into Bristol. I was in the correct lane for where I was going and even if I had wanted to pull over into the inside lane to let you past me, I couldn’t safely do so. However, you thought it was safe to swing into that lane, undertake me, and then swing across in front of me. Once in front of me you couldn’t go any faster than I was because of the vehicle in front. A few minutes further on and you swerved back into the inside lane to take the exit… You were driving a van so maybe you were going to work, well, I hope you got there safely, and I hope the other vehicles travelling in the same direction also managed to get there safely with you no doubt tailgating them and bobbing and weaving…

And I’m also talking to you, crazy motorbike rider – you with the under-powered bike. We were travelling out of the city, along a 50 mph road with cross-hatching along the centre between the two opposing carriageways and bollards every couple of hundred yards. The purpose of this was to stop people overtaking on a fast and dangerous stretch of road. Did this not occur to you? I was rattling along at just under the speed limit, some way back from a scaffolding lorry which was belting along nicely at the required 50 mph. You struggled past me on your red bike, managed to get some momentum as we went down a hill, but then, as we went up the other side, approaching a bend in the road round which no-one with normal eyes could see, you decided to overtake the scaffolding lorry. You just didn’t have the power did you? There was on coming traffic but I thought for a moment you were going to go the wrong side round the bollard, but fortunately no, you squeezed in front of the scaffolding lorry and on you went. I hope you reached your destination safely, and didn’t give any other road users near heart-attacks.

Oh and by the way, scaffolding lorry, I hope you got to the place you were going to erect your scaffold without any of your poles coming off the back of the truck – I kept well back from you just in case they did. And I really think you ought to pop into the garage, your lorry sounded as if it was being powered by a metal-cutting saw – I presume it wasn’t.

Thank you for your attention,

yours sincerely

an ordinary road user

PS just in case you don’t know or have forgotten, here is what rule 130 of The Highway Code says:

Rule 130

Areas of white diagonal stripes or chevrons painted on the road. These are to separate traffic lanes or to protect traffic turning right.

• If the area is bordered by a broken white line, you should not enter the area unless it is necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so.
• If the area is marked with chevrons and bordered by solid white lines you MUST NOT enter it except in an emergency.