As soon as I saw three or four headlight flashes, I knew what was ahead: the safety (speed) camera van that occasionally sits in the 40mph zone through a nearby village was in operation.
It happens a lot. And that half of oncoming vehicles tend to warn you of its presence shows, I think, how seriously or not speeding is viewed by most drivers. You wouldn’t warn a stranger not to nick a loaf of bread because there’s a security guard on a supermarket’s door.
So sure enough, a minute later I came across it, in one of its preferred spots on the verge, lens poking through the back window as I cruised past.
I’m not convinced many people speed on this 40mph stretch and, if you do, you deserve what you get. But there’s justifiable reason the van is there: it’s a dodgy stretch of road. I drive it a lot, a few times most days, and by my reckoning, around once a month there’s a prang at some point within its six-mile length.
Thing is, they’re not in the zone inhabited by the van, because that has good visibility and that 40mph limit. The problems come in the five miles of tree-lined, arcing, narrow 50mph limited road each side, which has muddy verges, poor visibility, difficult junctions, and on which I know people approach those hazards too fast – though that doesn’t mean, necessarily, at above the speed limit.
So I have cognitive dissonance about this. I’m grateful the road’s problems have been noted and some effort has been made to slow people on it, yet also I’m encouraged by oncoming driver’s warnings. Because I, and perhaps they, are unconvinced that the occasional presence of a van with a camera in the back of it is enough to cure this road’s ills.
What happened to our rainbow roads?
Greetings, pop pickers: it’s the least surprising top five of the year. And grey is back at number one.
For nine straight years until 2008, silver was the most popular colour for new cars in the UK, following which white and black have, between them, kept the top two spots in the charts nailed down. But last year grey crept to the top of the pile, relegating black to second, with white in third.
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No excuses
I'm the strongest beliver ever when it comes to proper roads policing officers who can spot the difference between an idiot / drunk / dangerous driver at 29mph and a completely legal and safe driver that happens to err over 34mph.
But, at the same time, the law's the law, if you break it then don't complain at the consequences - and don't give me this "safer to look at the road than the speedo" cr@p, if you really can't manage to drive at a consistent and legal speed without constantly staring at your instruments then there's a case for you not being on the roads at all in the first place.
Colour choices
It’s been apparent for many years in the UK (don’t know about other countries), that particular colours seem to dominate the new car market for several years at a time. At one time silver seemed all the rage, then black, white and now grey. I had my first car in 1971 (metallic gold) and remember that decade as a time when it was common to see cars that were turquoise, orange, vivid yellow and seemingly every colour of the rainbow. This unleashing of the colour palette seems to have started in the mid-60’s, perhaps driven by the Beatles and even the buoyant fashion industry.
Matt’s comment that fleet managers may have a part to play is probably valid, given the huge growth in the company car market since the 70’s. I wonder if our society has also changed in respect of more and more people wanting to follow the latest fashion even if, in my eyes, this can lead to a loss of individuality. Perhaps the internet and social media are contributory factors? As for the car makers, they are driven by the need to make money, so will be happy to pander to any colours the market wants.
I’m with Matt and would love to see car buyers becoming more imaginative in their colour choices.
Bright colours please
Grey is so drab that it disappears easily at dusk or the first bit of fog. Not only is it a boring colour, it is not as safe. I used to have a black car and people didn’t see me far too often. I have had bright colours ever since, currently red.