I was out feeding the pigs at 7.10am today when I heard yet another driver hammering his car along the road towards us and that bend.
It was clear this driver really was pushing on, so I looked up with plenty of time to watch as a silver Citroen Saxo - with blacked out windows, bass pounding from the stereo and a cherry bomb exhaust - powered into the bend.
I really thought we were about to have another car plough into the fences, buildings or dykes as the Saxo crossed to the wrong side of the road and tore past behind our first belt of trees.
When the Saxo passed the gate, I could see the front right-hand wheel was pushed right up into the bodywork, turned to the left and scrabbling for grip, the rear right-hand wheel was also pushed well up into the body, and the rear left-hand wheel was off the ground.
Amazingly, the car still had traction and that’s what probably saved the driver, as he put more power down and drove the car out of the slide.
He almost over-corrected though as the Saxo hurtled towards the other side of the road with a squeal of tyres and, even though he was now behind the next belt of trees, I could hear him fish-tailing down the road.
Amazingly, the driver didn’t back off for the next bend, a sharp left-hander, and I heard him powering through that, with a sharp patter of gravel as he went through the chippings that litter the road there.
Some people do not deserve to be that lucky - although I’m sure he thinks he’s a great driver. I don’t.
This morning’s near-miss comes after a number of similar incidents on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Clear skies and sunshine have seen us working the fields, often close the road, and we plus visitors to the croft have paid even more attention to the road than usual thanks to last week’s crash.
Memorable incidents included:
- A woman driver who was drinking from a small bottle of milk as she attempted to take the bend at speed. She dropped the bottle as the car crossed to the wrong side of the road - we hope it made a mess!
- A man in a red, older model Ford Transit who was on his mobile phone as he tried to round the bend at speed. He dropped his phone as his van crossed to the wrong side of the road and tilted, then swerved back to avoid an oncoming truck.
- A young woman driving a silver Renault Clio who clearly did not know the road as she came into the bend at moderate speed, but was caught out when the angle was more acute than she expected. The dip also seemed to throw her off, and she went into panic mode, hitting the brakes and slithering all over the place. Braking at that point was not a good idea!
- A man in his late 20s or early 30s driving a black Subaru Impreza WRX who went past at least four times in three days - and each time hammered through the bend at speed on the wrong side of the wrong. Oncoming cars twice had to brake and swerve to miss him.
If I had a bit of spare cash, I’d be tempted to set up a web cam and then put suitable video clips on the web, probably under the heading “Do you know this *%@£!*@&?”
Either they don’t read this blog, or they DO and are hoping to star on it!
When I walk my dog ‘around the houses’ early in the mornings, the drivers who instill the most fear in me are the ones who are:
Drinking a cup of coffee (tea?) at the wheel…YES!
Lighting up a fag
Talking on the phone
Texting
Putting on make up
Titivating their hair
When they do any of the above on a rainy day, they also drive through puddles and soak me with their spray!
Oh yes I can see the Saxo driver in my minds eye, the road past our local college throbs to the beat of their sound systems.
Young guys have always like to drive fast because,
A, they have been doing it since they got their first three wheel trike (mum could just put a plaster on their grazed knees )
B, They will not die, they are invincible!
Sadly the latter is a lie.
I don’t have a problem with the ‘police camera action’ type TV programmes’, but I do with the style of commentary that goes with them, it treads a very fine line between reporting and sensationalising and it often drifts ‘over the double white lines’ as far as I am concerned.
When I become prime minister I am going to repeal all driving laws and replace them with one new law, “Driving like a w***er”. The penalty on conviction will be a lifetime driving ban. I don’t care if you need your car for your job. Tough. The offence “death by dangerous driving” will be replaced by “murder”, and offenders can expect to receive the same punishment as if they had shot their victim. Drivers colliding with pedestrians or occupied vehicles will be charged with “Assault with a deadly weapon” and punished accordingly. And if you damage your own vehicle through driving like a w***er you will not be able to claim on your insurance, any more than I would expect to claim on my house and contents cover if I set fire to my own house.
is it worth keeping a log of cars that actually come round? numbers, i mean, and what proportion of those have near misses / actual accidents so that you can show that putting the signs up that you want would have a big effect?
keth
xx
I don’t have the time to keep a log of all the idiots that go past - it’s in the several an hour category.
As for laws, the Dutch have one I like - if a car hits a pedestrian or cyclist then the car driver is always in the wrong.
But I do like Mel’s idea of not being able to claim on your own insurance if you are to blame for the accident. That appeals enormously!
As for the damage to the building, the Other Half was talking to a chap from the loss adjuster this morning and she said he clearly did not believe the car had done the damage we described.
He said the car would have had to be going exceptionally fast to do anything like that sort of damage. But how can he reach a decision when he has neither seen the damage nor photos of it.
A loss assessor came out this afternoon to view the damage and she was clearly amazed by the damage - and even more surprise to learn the driver had escaped with only bruising.
As we suspected, about half of the gable wall will have to come down and a long section of the back wall. As the cottage is built of stone that, plus the use of lime mortar, means the use of stonemasons and specialist builders. In turn, that means a lot of time and money.
I just hope the loss adjusters will okay the repairs.
Surely her car insurance will cover the damage to your property? If not, then common decency should make her put her hand in her pocket. It isn’t your fault she was driving like an idiot.
You haven’t dealt with insurance companies before, then?
Over and above what I mentioned earlier, I’ve now spent a couple of hours on the phone trying to find three builders to come and give us an estimate for the work.
All bar one said no - not their sort of work, too small a job, too busy, etc etc. I spoke to the remaining one’s wife and left a message for him, so I don’t know what’s going to happen with him.
The curious thing with builders is how many describe themselves as “general builders - all jobs undertaken” but when you call them you find they only want to do big jobs, new constructions or major conversions.
We only have 10 days to supply the insurance company with three estimates so I’m going to have to start calling builders as far away as Elgin and Aberdeen, but how many of those will be prepared to come this far.
And of course, it wastes hours of my time.