Common sense an important rule of the road

IN the recent correspondence about bad driving habits, Karl Sheridan (Yorkshire Post, June 11) listed his pet-hates with which I fully agree.

I would add the following to his short list – overtaking by crossing the central diagonal cross-hatching markings; leaving headlights on when parked/waiting at the kerb when it is dark; inadequate lights in poor visibility/broken lights; illegal or filthy number-plates.

However, I would add a ‘codicil’ to Mr Sheridan’s view of the rule on giving way when cars are parked on your side. Some years ago, on a police driving awareness course, I was told that vehicles already coming through have right of way. In other words, if you see the road to be clear and start to pass parked cars on your side, and then an oncoming vehicle appears, then you have right to come through.

There is always the “Mr Clever” who appears round the bend (with no parked cars) and starts getting angry because you are in “his” space, having already passed most of the parked vehicles.

I had to laugh at John Dodd (Yorkshire Post, June 10) who told us that on the congested M180 with lorries and caravans in lane one: “I set my cruise control at the appropriate speed according to the conditions and stay in the centre lane thus eliminating the need to judge when it is safe to keep nipping in and out of the left lane.”

I fail to see how the cruise-control can have a facility that determines safety for changing lanes – all it does is keep to a constant speed. My cruise-control is called my right foot.

The left lane should be used if there is sufficient space to keep in it for a reasonable time. Constantly weaving in and out of it is not what the rule asks for – just some common sense and a considerate attitude by drivers.

In the fast lane

From: Martin Fletcher, Savile Close, Emley.

THE outside lane is an overtaking lane, not a fast lane although plenty of BMWs, Jags and Mercs seem to think it is there for them to sit in even at midnight and never move out of it.