MisterMMM.com: anecdotes from the road

June 20

It was a dual carriageway driving lesson. I did the briefing which gives information on the three main things to do with dual carriageways - getting on, overtaking, getting off.

The driver took it all in, but was asking many questions about problems of getting onto the dual carriageway. One in particular was about people actively blocking you getting onto the carriageway. It had never happened to me, and I couldn't believe that anyone would do that. So I said that nobody would be that stupid! How wrong I was!

So, coming from the Toyota roundabout north towards Derby, we were on the slip road accelerating down it nicely to 70.

There was a lorry a long way in front, with another learner behind it. They were doing about 65 or so and we were catching them up slowly while on the slip road. There was a black prius way back and we should have had plenty of time to get out in front of them. If they were catching up by speeding, then they would have had to move out so as not to drive into the learner and lorry up front.

We had enough time to move out behind the other learner, but this Prius moved up, speeding, to block us coming out and then slowed down, again to block us. By then there was no road to go to, and we slipped in between them and the learner. They were very close behind!

No, nobody would be that stupid! not to actively engage in blocking us coming onto the dual carriageway. The driver said that that was exactly what they meant.

When I started training with John about being an instructor, I remember asking him if you ever get used to the stupidty of other drivers. He just replied that it is out there. I repeated myself! He gave me a stern look, and said again that it is out there! In other words you don't get used to it!

The thing about this driver in the prius, was when he closed up to about 3 ft from the back at 70mph, he and his wife were both shaking their heads, probably trying to make out something about how wrong we were! I just thought, maybe their heads were loose, because they certainly weren't screwed on properly!