Beyond the Sphere

Honestly.

I’m in the middle of a blogging break while I recover from one condition, and now find myself compelled to write a blog post about another situation. Thankfully, as I’m writing the post the situation isn’t as bad as it could have been, but a second earlier or later and there could have been no blog post.

I’m addressing this post to the drivers of the UK, but in effect it could apply to drivers anywhere, especially if said drivers lose control of all common sense when they get behind the wheel of their vehicle.

I’m sorry to say, drivers of Britain, but you are the worst. You bring down the concept of being human. You lose the ability of logical mind, and allow stupidity to control both yourself and the vehicle you are meant to be driving.

Tonight I was hit by a vehicle as I crossed a road. Luckily for me, it was only a bump with a very loud thud, although I doubt that the ‘human’ behind the wheel heard it over their ridiculously loud thumping music they were playing.

As I crossed the road, I noticed the black 4X4 turn into the road I was three-quarters of the way across. I thought to myself ‘that’s a bit close’, as I noticed it turning into the wrong side of the road (the correct side of the road was now behind me and I was way passed this… oh, and before you ask, the vehicle wasn’t there when I started to cross), and then the vehicle hit me. I stepped back into the road to see if the ‘driver’ had realised they had actually hit another human being, once I regained control of my senses after saying to myself “Did that actually just happen?”, and I think they did stop momentarily before turning into another road and driving off. As it was a residential street, I thought the vehicle may have parked somewhere, but it was nowhere to be seen when I had a quick look. No surprise there.

It’s actually no surprise I was hit by the vehicle thinking about it. Another driver, the other week, drove straight through regardless as I was crossing on a zebra crossing at a Tesco supermarket carpark. One vehicle to my right had stopped to allow me to cross, but the buffoon to the left turned out of one of the lanes and seemed oblivious to the fact that there was a crossing even there, let alone somebody using it.

I’ve seen vehicles overtaking queues of traffic on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of central reservations… speeding drivers narrowly missing being involved in collisions as they race regardless around winding roads – again on the wrong side of the road… I had a truck overtake me as I was driving on my right, only to turn left in front of me into the road I was approaching… I had a woman try to drive her car through my old car (literally, she rammed her car into the front of mine) as she wanted to turn left at a roundabout when she was in the wrong (right-turn) lane, but didn’t indicate and just decided to go. She was extremely un-lady lake when I ferociously honked my horn at her… motorcyclists undertaking and overtaking at any given opportunity… cyclists at night dressed in black without lights on, some even sending text messages on their mobiles whilst peddling – I mean wobbling – into the path of traffic… I’ve seen drivers swing their doors wide open without checking if anything (cyclist or car) was approaching…  I’ve seen drivers reversing the wrong way along one way streets (so their car was facing the right way)…  I’ve had a ‘professional’ coach driver sound their horn at me as they sailed passed me at speed when I was stopping at a red traffic light… on the news recently, there were images of impatient drivers driving the wrong way on a motorway to avoid a traffic hold up… and this list doesn’t even touch the surface.

I’m a driver. I know how frustrating it can be. I know it’s easy to make a mistake. But taking the time to think about the driving, rather than just blindly making the vehicle go, could save a whole lot of hassle. Being a little more patient, and courteous, both with yourself and the other ‘humans’ on the road, could save a lot of stress. Taking time to look carefully, using the roads correctly, allowing others time to do their things, would actually make the driving experience a little more pleasurable.

And this could also prevent YOU from killing somebody on the road.

Fortunately, not all drivers are like this – it may just be my turn to see them on the roads – but if you drive any way like in the examples above, or equally as stupidly, just think. Take a step back. Give yourself time.

Hopefully, British roads will become much better in the near future… that’s what I’m looking out for now. It’s a shame that a ‘near-death experience’ has prompted this post, but if this post encourages just one person to make a concerned effort to become a better driver, then writing the post has been worth it.