MisterMMM.com: anecdotes from the road

March 19

So I was heading off for a pick-up in Spondon, rattling along on the A52 out of Derby.

Now, as you go past The Wyvern, there are plenty of people trying to get out on the slip road. This is not normally a problem as I can be in the right hand lane anyway, and these people nose to tail coming out from the slip road can bully their way out.

Sometimes they do jump across into the right hand lane without checking their blind-spot and that can be a bit worrying.

After the Raynesway turn-off, there is only the slip road from Raynesway heading towards Nottingham to take care of.

The traffic cleared up enough so that I had enough room to move into the left hand lane to start my approach for the spondon exit.

There was a lorry coming from the slip road on the left, but as the Spondon exit is straight after, about 200yds, I didn't have enough time to overtake it, so slowed down and lined myself up to slip in behind as he moved out.

At that point, another two cars appeared on the slip road at speed, a big new merc, and a big new BM. They lined up on my left behind the lorry. I thought the least they could do would be to line up behind me. They didn't!

As the slip road disappeared they crossed the hazard line at the end of their lane and one went between me and the lorry, and the other about 3 feet behind me. This was stupidity of a high order.

I backed off more so that I had some kind of gap in front to brake in, and the driver behind started doing seal impressions by flapping his hands together. I just just wondered how stupid he wanted me to think he was already, let alone driving on the dual carriageway without holding the steering wheel.

He then started to wave an arm as if to tell me I should have moved into the right hand lane to make me get out of his stupid way. I shook my head and pointed to the left, just as I started to indicate for the exit.

He then followed ever closely, as I made the exit into Spondon. He then backed off a bit, and maybe wondered where I would have ended up if I had done what he wanted. Certainly not in Spondon, but halfway towards Nottingham on the A52.

I thought about what would have happened if he had met another driver driving as badly as he does! Is that how accidents happen. A magic recipe for accidents might be take a road junction, add 2 idiots, stir and see what happens! Oh, an accident. How did that happen? Must be magic!