Saturday 17 July 2010

Knobhead with mobile

The best lesson that I picked up from doing a motorcycle course was the idea that you always need to be ready to stop when some dickhead does something stupid - like pulling out from a side street without giving way.

Which exactly what the knob in this 5 second clip did to me on Friday. I always, always go down either the middle of the lane or even over to the right on the double white line on this road - it gives me the maximum visibility of cars entering from the left, and it allows drivers to see me and stop until I go past.


About 1 in 50 drivers on this road is like this bloke - a knobfart if I've ever seen one. He got to the corner, slowed down, didn't bother to look either way and then pulled out - steering with one hand - as his other hand was clutching a mobile to his head.

That motorcycle course, along with years of on-road experience, has taught me not to get angry and righteous, but simply to pull on the brake levers and get out of his way. It's more important to stop and let the idiot who failed to give way get out of the way than to stand your ground and get run over.

Thankfully, he had his window down, and I was able to shout "Dickhead" very loudly into his ear as he went past.

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