Saturday, 1 June 2013
Breaking red lights. OK if you drive a 4x4.
4X4s are the new Volvos. Their owners feel invincible - more than most, anyhow - and as a result, they are shit drivers.
Invulnerable and superior - by their own reckoning, at least - they look down with some condescension at mere car drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians whilst wrapped in over 2.5 tonnes of boxy steel, some of which are adorned with child-crusher bars out front.
There are some motoring stereotypes that prove true to form, IMO:
Toyota Starlet and Nissan Micra drivers (now, though not so much in the past) should not have been given drivers' licences; Audi drivers stick so closely to the rear bumper of the car in front that it constitutes automotive buggery; Renault drivers are French patriots; Subaru and Porsche drivers are kind and thoughtful; BMW drivers are ignorant lane-hogging gobshites; Nissan Juke, Mercedes CLS, Nissan Primera and Ford Ka drivers should be shot for crimes against aesthetic sensibility. I won't say anything nasty about Peugeot drivers, as I know one quite well.
But really. This bank holiday weekend will see the boys and girls in blue on the hard shoulder of every decent stretch of road in the country, pointing their lasers or hiding in the back of vans with cameras... applying penalty points to everyone but themselves and their cronies.
Would they not be better off being out and about, catching half-wits chatting away on mobile phones and - most dangerous of all - flagrantly breaking red lights?
I've seen far worse examples than the clip above, but given the traffic light phasing and the distance of said lights on the road to the left (situated some distance up to allow oncoming traffic to turn - you can't see it here) this halfwit turning right has plainly broken a red light on a blind junction. You can see the light turning green (for a couple of seconds) above the Fiat Stilo in front.
I see it all the time on busy Dublin streets where idiots blithely break the red light with no regard for crossing traffic or pedestrians. Have I ever seen anyone penalised by the coppers for doing so? No.
This, to me, is the most dangerous traffic-law infringement going - one that currently wasted resources should be re-directed towards.
There are enough impromptu traffic-light wreaths out there to back up the contention.
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13 comments:
What about those amphetamine crazed yahoos who drive round in '57 Heinkel Bubble cars?
pb
We've lots of yahoos here, PB. Not too many Heinkels though. Apart from the odd Tourist.
Despite my tongue-in-cheek marque/4x4 stereotyping above, I've long thought that ignorant drivers are a cross-marque, cross contrivance, cross-class phenomenon.
And I wouldn't say "non" to an M3...
Did you know that Heinkel bubble cars were made from left over rear gun turrets from the bombers of the same name AND if you think that's weird - the original VW was not a car design but a washing machine (Volks Wascher or people's washing machine). Unfortunately it vibrated so badly in the spin cycle that it often moved quite quickly across floors. They were unable to solve the problem so a young German engineer working for an engineering firm which wanted to create a car for the people had a brainwave and fitted it with wheels and seating... almost unbelievable isn't it? PB
Almost, PB!!! Did you know that Messerschmitt did a line in bubble cars too?
Encounter the same type of consistent stupidity everyday GM. The Irish just can't drive. Something to do with not understanding civilisation, and all that.
Not to mention the Rules of the Road. Good to hear from you, BTW!
I do no believe either of the cars shown are Volvo's. The one crossing in front of the stationery car is a BMW. The
stationery car is certainly not a Volvo. Wrong rear-lights. And Volvo 4x4's are not 4x4 all wheel drive. Some are two wheel drive and some are front wheel drive with a second drive kicking in when reguired. The XC60 and 90 are pretty hopeless off road.
yeah where have you been DC3 - missed your observations - cheers PB
Hi Albert. No I only referred to Volvos of past times, as they had a reputation of being the safest cars around... the inference being their drivers thought they were immortal.
The car in front is a Fiat Stilo, I think, whereas the 4x4 is a Range or Land Rover.
Thanks GM, PB.
Somewhat distracted of late.
Cameras placed a couple of meters before traffic lights here in France.
By jove you'll stop at yellow. Hefty fine and penalty points.
They don't always seem to be on the more dangerous junctions though.
Money makers alright, keeps taxes down I suppose.
Redneck
Am I correct in thinking that you have no road tax there, Redneck? That all taxes are paid at the pumps?
This is cool!
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