Final Destination 2

The roads are still pretty quiet in London as many people are still clearly away on holiday. However, the standard of driving has taken a massive leap towards the depths in the last week with me witnessing several very dangerous manoeuvres by all types of road users, including the pedestrian I had to swerve round in Stockwell as they walked down the middle of the A3 at the height of rush hour with their back to the traffic chatting on their mobile phone!

The journey home today was pretty eventful. Leaving work with Jackie she had to take evasive action to avoid a small white van being driven very aggressively along the Embankment under Hungerford Bridge. She then looked with horror as the van tried to race me, first trying to pass me on the right, then when that didn’t work, he tried cutting between me and the coaches parked along the riverside. As we approached Westminster Bridge I moved to the left and waved hi m through. He was screaming some abuse and waving his arms aggressively as he went by. He shot off and then narrowly missed a cyclist and another vehicle before queuing to turn right into Parliament Square.

The joy of couriers that drive like this is they advertise their employers on the back of their vans – so when I got home I Googled (yes Google – it is a verb!) only to discover that the head of the company is chair of the despatch trade body. I have emailed to ask him what he thinks of this sort of behaviour!

That wasn’t the end of it. Having crossed Westminster Bridge, whilst following the south side of the River through Nine Elms a red hatchback alongside me on a dual carriageway decided to change land without signalling or, presumably, looking! I had to brake and take evasive action. I followed the car along to the next junction using my horn in a vain attempt to get some sort of acknowledgement from the driver. As I said the other day, I much prefer it if a road user doing wrong admits their mistake – we all learn that way. It is the idiots who just don’t understand the consequences of their actions that gets my goat!

She stopped at the lights, and I pulled alongside still using my horn. She sat there looking ahead – I thought she might be deliberately ignoring me so as her window was wound down I flipped up my visor and said to her “Did you not see me?”
She turned and said “Whaah?”
I said, “Did you not see me?”
She said “Whaah?”
I asked a third time. She then turned off the very load music she was listening to and said “Whaah?”
I said, “You nearly hit me back then. Did you not see me?” She said “Whaah?”
Starting to feel a bit like Jules in Pulp Fiction I really wanted the next line to be “Say “what” again. SAY “WHAT” AGAIN. I dare you, I double dare you, motherfucker. Say “what” one more goddamn time!”
Instead the lights changed, we both moved off towards Battersea, and I am now on the lookout for badly driven red hatchbacks!