Why aren’t there more police manning our roads?
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Stop driving like idiots!
I’m not sure if it’s just me, or perhaps the areas I now live in, but over the past few years there seems to be more and more idiotic drivers on our roads. Every single time I go out in my car, or even just for a walk, I see numerous people either breaking the law whilst driving or being very irresponsible (which is possibly also breaking the law whilst driving). It makes me quite furious!
I’m always moaning to Ben about another imbecile I’ve seen on the road and it seems to be a more regular occurrence. I went for a walk this morning for one hour in total and I saw three near accidents on mere 30 mile per hour residential roads! Crikey! One poor woman was nearly knocked off her bike. A man in a van was waiting to come out of a junction onto a busyish but also residential road and obviously lost his patience. He screeched out onto the main road totally ignoring the lady about to pass the junction on her bike and the car which was right next to her. I looked up and witnessed it as I heard his tyres screech and the lady on her bike let out a yelp as she thought she was going to crash into him. It was a very near miss and I can only imagine her stomach did a thousand flips and heart jumped into her mouth. There was a car just about to overtake her and it could have been a very nasty accident. I only wish I was nearer so I could have seen the company name on the van. I witnessed another car pull out right in front of someone else with only a couple of metres to spare and another car not bother to wait behind a parked car on their side of the road, and instead meet a car in the other lane who’s right of way it was. Both just stopped for a moment, before the right of way car gave in and let the other go! Gosh.
This is only a snippet of it. In the last month I can remember being cut up when it was my right of way to turn left at traffic lights and a car was coming from the other direction. He was all over the place so must have been drunk. I saw two cars with smoke coming off their tyres over take a car who was doing the speed limit on a country road. They were going so fast it was ridiculous. I saw a car mount the curb as it took a corner after I’d been following it for ages doing 30 in a 50 zone. Just before this 50 mile per hour road which I regularly travel on, there are forever cars up my bum on the 30mph road before it, which are then miles behind me when I do reach the 50mph part. What is it with these 40mph only drivers?! Almost every day I have cars seeming to want to get in my car as they’re driving so close to me when I am DOING THE SPEED LIMIT. Arg. Stop making me want to break the law just to get you a safe distance from my car which has two children in the back!
My point is, where are the road police? Why aren’t the roads manned more? I see these idiot drivers EVERY SINGLE DAY and I’ve probably only seen a handful (if that) of people pulled over in the past couple of years. Why isn’t more being done about it? Why do I have to feel intimidated by other drivers when I’m actually doing the speed limits?
When I was in America one of the main things I noticed was how courteous all the drivers were and how safely the majority drove. I also noticed how many people I saw pulled over on their motorways. Like loads. Every day. The police there are tough (or in fact, just doing their job and enforcing the law) and will fine you on the spot for a motoring offence. There’s no just letting you off this time. The law is the law and safe roads are enforced. I remember very slowly crawling over a stop sign as it was so obvious the roads were clear for miles and the Americans in my car were quite shocked and remarked ‘you MUST come to a stop or you’ll be fined!’. Wow I thought. They told me I would get fined on the spot if caught speeding, etc, and after driving for a few days and seeing so many pulled over, I believed them! People on the highways/freeways seemed so much nicer than here, letting people pull in, not cutting each other up, not seeming to be in a race or rush to get everywhere. I can travel for hours on the motorway here, see cars doing ridiculous speeds or driving so dangerously (or hogging middle/outer lanes) and yet I’ll not see one marked police car or a single person pulled over. Perhaps that’s why everyone drives like idiots here, because 99% of the people get away with it.
That’s the problem here. Everyone is in a rush. But why? Why is every car determined to get to their destination so quickly and break the law? It baffles me why people nearly cause accidents just to get to their destination a few minutes quicker. We can’t all be in an emergency situation that we have to drive like maniacs. What happened to enjoying driving and the surroundings and sticking to the law? Oh and it also saves petrol if you go a little slower and stick to the speed limits.
My idea for all this is the ‘Secret Police’. It would be my ideal job. When I’m doing the speed limit and some impatient so-and-so decides to overtake me, I’d pop my sirens on, pull them over and fine them. Wouldn’t that be brilliant?! No excuses for breaking the law, just an on the spot fine of say £100. If they don’t pay up, then points on their licence. A camera on my dashboard would prove everything. Every time I see one of these driving idiots I say to Ben ‘Secret Police’ and he knows what I mean. He also now agrees it would be the most fun job. You can just imagine the look on their faces when they wind their windows down!
Slow down. Stop rushing everywhere. Start driving considerately. Please.
