Justin Smith

Or is it that they "block book" people in at a particular time then deal with them in order ? Efficient for them but not for those waiting.......

I can see both side of the argument but I`d have a bit more sympathy for the view that "thing`s can run on" if it was only occasionally that this happened rather than virtually all the time. This implies that it is the booking in procedure which is inefficient.

The problem with 4x4`s is that the consequences of being crashed into by one are likely to be more serious. This is undeniable and on it`s own should mean their owners should pay a far higher road tax in an attempt to dissuade people from buying one and to contribute to the costs of the additional damage they are likely to do. One other thing, the reason many people like them is the commanding view of the road they give. BUT as mentioned above this has a down side for the car(s) behind them as they get a worse view of the roads because they are less able to see through/round/over the car in front. The latter makes driving smoothly, economically and safely that much more difficult. I have often wondered how many additional accidents are caused by this often overlooked point. That is the main reason why I rarely let a 4x4 out in front of me at a junction.

Yesterday I had a hospital appointment and I finally got seen an hour and a half after the booked time. To someone like me with zero patience (and a job to get back to....) I found this a rather frustrating and stressful experience. In fact by the time I finally got to see the doctor I was seriously contemplating whether banging my head against the wall would provide a more effective treatment than anything he could recommend. To those who know me possibly the most surprising thing was I never even complained..... I have three questions : 1 How common is it to have to have a long wait ? 2 Is it acceptable ? 3 Has anyone ever complained and what happened when they did ?

Dear Lester You could have told me I was making a fool of myself, I`m so dreadfully embarassed ! It took your reply "Thats me who does 110mph, I do have a BMW so its OK" (on the subject MOTORISTS and road safety) to make me realise you`re just taking the mick, and there`s nothing wrong with that I may add. Or have I been reverse bluffed and you`re actually serious.........!

Right this is definately the last message I`m going to leave on this subject but the reason I think it`s so absurd to have discretionary speed limits is there are far too many brain deads on the road. Even more worrying is that they NEVER admit they`re in the wrong, even when it`s a cut and dried case. Maybe they`re such morons they don`t even realise they`re in error, maybe they know but they just don`t care, which is worse ? Maybe they don`t think anyone has a right to criticise their driving but that`s to fundamentally misunderstand that they have a responsibility to everyone they share the roads with. The latest was some cretin in a silver open top BMW going through a red light just as I was about to cross, and I`m not talking as the light changed, it was 3 or 4 seconds later. Using all my powers of self discipline (unlike him) I avoided swearing at him and simply pointed out he`d just gone through the light. His response ? Feeling a little chastened perhaps ? Possibly a bit guilty and apologetic (as I would feel if I`d have been in his position) ? Absolutely not, he started raving on like I`d suggested his wife had shagged half of Sheffield. He (and thousands like him) can`t even obey a simple straight forward objective thing like stopping at a red light and some people want to let him select his own speed limit, what planet are they from..... As for the person above who boasts about driving his BMW on the motorway at 110 mph, I`ll strain every sinew in my body to avoid making any comment and just let people make their own minds up about whether or not he`s one of the brain deads. (Oh dear I`ve only just realised he`s probably taking the mickey, and I`m supposed to have a good sense of humour......... On the other hand perhaps he isn`t.......) Maybe someone should start a subject "What`s the worst driving you`ve seen today "

The thing about speed is that it`s something objective and measureable. Even that lot in the British Association of Drivers say "we must improve bad driving" (which we must obviously do) but that is a subjective thing and therefore difficult to quantify, criticise or prosecute. For those reasons (plus the fact it`s so bleedin` obvious) it`s almost pointless to even say it.

I was determined to avoid adding to this subject but Darbee trying to tell me about Westfields was just too much. I had a W/F for 5 years, I built it myself including the engine/gearbox and it was in fact one of the first with a 2.0 Pinto in this country. Not only that but I had to run it as my everyday transport for two years and for most of the first winter it didn`t even have a bleedin` heater..... So I KNOW about Westfields. How much does Darbee know ? Perhaps he`s read about them in a motoring magazine ? Incidentally to those who think I think about death on the roads too much I`ve just been reading about two of them in the Sheffield Telegraph. I`m sure the parents of the two killed would agree with me rather than you.....

I disagree. Risk is relative and (fortunately) it`s statistically measureable. If you check the stats the roads are one of the most dangerous places that we all regularly go. I have to say that all these arguments against speed limits etc were exactly the ones I used to use (particularly to myself) when I had my Westfield. Eventually, with the benefit of expeience, I realised I was just kidding myself. Am I the only person who often wonders (as I set out on a car journey) if I`m going to get back in one piece ? Surely the roads would be a safer place if everyone thought that sometimes......

Following on from the comments about the driving test I suspect that the best way to reduce the death tolls on our roads would be a requirement to go and see a dead body from an RTA. If that didn`t make people realise how seriously we should all take road safety nothing would.

Dear Rip I couldn`t help noticing your moniker (throttle wide open etc) and I`d like to ask you if you`ve ever seen a dead body as a result of a road traffic accident ? I have and it was a salutory experience. Apparently some countries leave smashed up cars from accidents by the side of the road as a reminder to other drivers and I think we should do that over here, C/W copious quantities of the blood spilt by the unfortunate victim. In this country we have a tendency to remove the wreck ASAP and I think that just helps other drivers to forget how dangerous the roads really are. Remember this isn`t a computer game or a race track where people just walk away, it`s real flesh and blood.......

I don`t ever say women or men are better drivers but I do think women are less aggressive drivers. That said it`s starting to change, slowly but surely..... What is vital is that no one thinks they`re a perfect driver (by definition such a thing does not exist) because that just makes them a dangerous driver.

Incidentally I must confess to some concern that no one has yet agreed that a drivers first priority is to minimise the danger he (or she, though I usually find women to be safer drivers....) poses to other road users. Are things even worse than I feared ?

Right OK, this quote has persuaded me to come clean.... When I was younger (some would say more immature....) I was into all this cars bit, in fact I had a Westfield SEI with 120BHP at the rear wheels so I KNOW all about fast cars. My Westfield proved to me the fact that if you have a fast car you will drive it faster, and driving faster is definately more dangerous. If you want to go and do that on a private road that`s entirely your affair (though I`d rather pay my taxes into the NHS to treat someone with cancer than someone whose smashed themselves up) but how you can justify seeking cheap thrills (well OK it`s not cheap) whilst putting others in danger is not something I can understand. Incidentally whilst I do NOT condone those who speed on motorbikes at least they`re far more likely to maim/kill themselves than anyone else, so it`s not quite as selfish. I also used to have bikes and it was the thought of becoming a paraplegic rather than getting killed that made me finally give up. Think on that.

Aren`t we ( and I include myself in that) getting a little bit side tracked ? The whole point is it`s about attitude. If everyone on the roads did regard the safety of others as their number one priority then speed cameras etc would not be required. Unfortunately many drivers do not give the impression that they adopt this attitude. Drivers who want to drive in a "sporty" or aggressive manner are quite welcome to do so on any roads which they don`t share with me or my family or any of my friends or (if I`m being consistent) any of the other 60 million people in this country.

I drive on the roads and anyone who drives on the roads knows that speeding increase the chances of an accident and it definately increases the severity of an accident. You can`t ignore the rules of physics If GPS systems stopped every car from speeding how would the criminals/"joy" riders (same thing actually) be able to drive so dangerously ?

Use "average speed" cameras, hide the bleedin` things and best of all build cars which use GPS technology so they physically can`t break the speed limit. Driving would be so much less stressful...... The real point is that when drivers object to GPS speed limiters their real agenda comes out, ie they want to be able to speed. Why will they never just admit that ?

Personally I`d rather be hit by a car doing 40mph than 60mph, but each to his own I suppose. The only objection I have to speed cameras is when the speed limit in their vicinity is unclear. There should be far more "repeater" speed limit signs and in addition my idea would be to paint it on the road so the limit is not only obvious but appears in the resulting picture taken by the camera.

Wrong figures ? Are we really going to get hung up on a few percent either way when they change up and down every year ? One of the reasons I always use these figures is because they`re easy to remember (they`re not that far out anyway) but I think you`re missing the essential point. How many people in this country never go on the roads, either as a driver, a passenger , a pedestrian , a cyclist, a horse rider etc etc ? I would say none.

Every year 3500 people are killed on our roads and 350,000 (that`s a third of a million) are injured. These aren`t just figures, every one of them is someones son/daughter/father/mother....... In these days of Health & Safety overkill (pun intended !) the roads are actually a dangerous place to be and around 60 million of us are on them every day, not just drivers remember. Bearing all of the above in mind, everyone using the roads first priority should be to minimise the danger that they individually pose to each and everyone of the other 60 million, in fact they have a personal responsibility to do so. Is there anyone out there who can disagree with any of the above and if nobody can how come so many people drive so aggressively/speed and react so negatively to any attempt to improve road safety ? Figures : DfT http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=230291&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False British Medical Journal http://www.brake.org.uk/index.php?p=841

Too many parents are unwilling to discipline their kids (or say "no" to them) because they want to be "best friends " with them. Like an employer who can`t be best friends with his employees, at the end of the day your kids (or your employees) have to respect you, as in DEFER TO YOU, as in "do what they`re bleedin told".

But I DON`T hate Sheff Utd fans (not the decent ones anyway), in fact I don`t hate anyone, except possibly selfish dangerous drivers...... If that means I`m not a "real" a Wednesday fan then perhaps that sums it all up. I still prefer the atmosphere at away grounds (amongst the Wednesday fans anyway) and I haven`t met an Owls fan who doesn`t say the same.

Where do you sit then, if I ever go back I may try it there. When you`re talking atmosphere what I want is loads of noise but no aggravation and thats not what you usually get at a Wednesday home match.... It constantly surprises me how much better (in both cases) it is amongst the Wednesday fans when they`re away from home.

Normally I go to about 5 to 10 Wednesday games a season but this year I haven`t even been tempted to go to one, and it`s NOT because the team have been playing s**t for the last 10 years....... The last game I went to was the Sheff United derby game last season and I really wish I hadn`t gone. I was a bit disillusioned before I even got to the game as I thought the policy of insisting you bought tickets for two other (specific) games before deigning to sell you a ticket at great expense was exploiting the fans. I also thought that the 0870 telephone number they`ve adopted amounts to the same thing, remember most calls would be local anyway, the difference is 8p per min against 1 to 2p...... When we got to the game I was upset at witnessing the aggressive intimidating abuse that a Sheff Utd supporting couple received as they quite innocently walked under the South Stand. We decided to go in the latter stand (as opposed to the North stand or the Kop) as I was taking my wife and I hoped it`d be slightly more civilised. Unfortunately my hopes were misplaced and the usual swearing (and I`m not talking B words and F words, I`m talking C words, it`s not uncommon to even see fathers use this kind of language in front of their own kids !) and aggressive language and chants started up, "Break the B******s legs" etc. Next came a couple of face offs between Wednesday fans (something I`ve seen fairly often down at Hillsborough) and a scuffle when it was discovered a Sheff Utd fan was in the stand. Finally a supporter behind me made some racist comment which I felt I coudn`t ignore and ended up having "words" with him. I started thinking why the hell am I here ? I don`t even want to be associated with some of these people, and that`s without mentioning that lot you sometimes get (with scarves over their faces) trying to get at the away fans as they leave the ground. I`ve always preferred going to away games, the atmosphere is always better and (ironically) there is less aggression, esp amongst the Wednesday fans. When I go to an away game I`m proud of the Wednesday fans, still singing even when we`re losing (which we generally are....) but I`ve finally had enough of Hillsborough. Please persuade me to go back !

The points made about driving and It`s public transport, not a library are actually linked. We`re all supposed to be getting out of our cars (because the roads are too full) and using public transport instead, so one would think that "the powers that be" (not that there are any now they`ve deregulated....) should be striving to make public transport suitable for as many as possible. Loud personal stereos/mobiles etc put a significant number of people off public transport and (say) making half of all trains or trams quiet zones doesn`t even cost anything so what`s stopping them ? To the thoughtful "Sunshine", I`m sure it wasn`t yours ! How nice it is these days to come across someone who thinks about others more than themselves.