I can’t help noticing, amongst the plethora of new rules for the 2014 F1 season, is this little gem:
A winning driver may now perform an act of celebration before reaching parc fermé provided that the act is performed safely and does not endanger other drivers or any officials, does not call into question the legality of his car and does not delay the podium ceremony
This is so vaguely-worded look forward to hearing about blowjobs ocurring in the pit lane.
Anyway, this little rant has been done before but I’ve noticed the prevailing condition becoming significantly worse lately.
On Tuesday I commuted by VFR.
As part of my current commute I endure a stretch of the M6.
I rode the bike to work, and home again (on the M6 stretches) keeping very firmly to the speed limit, and keeping in the left hand lane at all times – except when I had to use overtaking lane one, to navigate past lorries and other slower vehicles.
I found myself counting how many slower vehicles I passed, while I was in the left hand lane – these slower vehicles being in either overtaking lane one or overtaking lane two.
On the way to work: 37.
On the way home: 41.
So that’s seventy eight drivers who are oblivious to the rule of law that says you must use the left hand lane at all times, except when overtaking.
Seventy eight drivers ignorant of (or just plain ignoring) a major piece of road legislation.
I seem to remember David Cameron saying two things, in the last year.
Firstly, that motorway speed limits would be raised to 80mph.
Secondly, that on the spot fines would be issued to lane-blockers, middle lane morons or, to use a more eloquent description, motorists who fail to use correct lane discipline.
I’m not too fussed about the first thing happening.
But the second thing? The fixed penalty notice, on the spot fines for the mentally challenged?
That’s well overdue.
I’m willing to bet that new F1 rule was put in place to cover Vettel’s antics last year.
I don’t think drivers are actually ignorant of lane discipline, but rather choose to ignore it.
I remember getting called out at three o’clock one morning, a few years back. The M1 was empty as I got on at junction 10 and I poodled along nicely at 70mph in lane 1. I watched in my mirrors as another car joined the motorway about a mile back. It went from the slip road straight across to lane 3 and there it sat until it passed me a few minutes later and it stayed in that lane until it was out of sight, despite there being only the two of us on that stretch of the motorway.
It was – of course – a big BMW and that was obviously HIS lane.
We have a “guideline” here that says to keep left unless overtaking. I think it’s bollocks. I swear it’s what causes people to routinely cut me off as they dash back into the left lane for fear of being caught in the right lane.
There is another rule here which makes this unnecessary. It is “move left to allow faster traffic to pass.” The point being use whatever lane you like, but don’t be a dick about it.
In Masher’s situation, why is it better/safer for the only two cars on the road to be in the same lane? If near one another aren’t they in a better position for hazard avoidance or emergency braking if in their own lanes?