Another road-related rant, sorry!
I have decided that the most dangerous drivers on the road are not press-on executives in big saloons, boy racers, taxi drivers, or any of the groups stereotypically labelled as dangerous; the vote must surely go to young drivers in small, boring, unimaginative, unloved, cheap cars that feature an L-Plate in the back window. The type who hate buses, cycling, walking, and have been waiting for years to get on the road, regardless of how cheap and crap the car is. The lack of interest in the car is an important issue here, as young drivers who look after their cars and have some pride in them tend to be much more capable on the road. I encountered, or rather, found myself involved in, two incidents this very morning involving small cars (Fiat Cincecento, Volkswagen Polo, both base models that hadn't been cleaned for a while) that featured L-Plates. Incident 1: Cycling along the road, I spot a big pile of tarmac and gravel, obviously left over from some uncompleted roadworks, on my side of the road. I want to move around it, as it's about 2 metres wide, but I can hear a car behind me. I look behind, see this red Cincecento, indicate that I need to move out, and try to do so. The car draws level with me, refuses to give me any space, and runs me over the roadworks. The driver, a young woman with long blonde hair, carries on her merry way with her L-Plate advertising her inexperience. 1 mile later (I know, not my day!), I arrive at a roundabout, and proceed across it ( I am going straight ahead). A red Polo is at the next exit. The driver looks at me, then drives directly across my path, forcing me to brake. I look at the back of the car. Another L-Plate. Did she see me? I sometimes get the feeling that drivers can look right at you, but you don't register in their brains. This seems to happen most if you are on a bicycle or a motorbike, as you don't "matter", you are "unimportant" as a road user, the car is stronger and will win the collision challenge. It could also relate to how the new car user despised having to cycle, walk or get the bus in the past and can now get some retribution on the "scum" they now encounter in that situation. In some cases not being seen is perhaps understandable, the cyclist is wearing black clothes, has no reflectors or lights, and is cycling at night; but in my case, it was full daylight, I was wearing a dayglow yellow jacket, the tyres on my bike are bright red, my cycling helmet is bright red... So, congratulations to the Department of Transport who thinks it is ok for drivers to be allowed on the road despite, by carrying an L-Plate, freely advertising the fact that the state has not yet declared them capable of taking their place of responsibility on the road in their lethal killing instrument. Wonder if I could get a car horn fitted to my bike?