Red Lights

Wake up New Zealand, Red traffic lights are there for a reason, to protect you from on coming traffic, not so for Mr S*$t for brains this morning, out of my rear mirror baltantly runs a red light, surely being 2 mins later to the mall or work is worth that kind of crazy driving, but you know what's coming next, he is not alone, the "amber gamblers" and the "red runners" are profilic in New Zealand, unfortuantely these are the people who often escape injury and leave chaos behind them.

Death Toll

A Very bad weekend with 6 recorded deaths on the road and we have not got to the silly season yet, tragic loss of life and you know it didn't really need to happen, bit more care and attention is all that is called for and of course SLOW DOWN! people drive as if they are getting away from something, maybe they are, but thats no reason to drive recklessly.

Dumbass

Well it must be a holiday weekend, for some strange reason no ones tried to kill me, maybe we are learning the lessons, it’s not funny dying at a weekend, wait until Tuesday then the mayhem can get back to normal and I can get back to looking over my shoulder.

However just because no one was out to get me doesn't mean the lunatics have stayed at home, Oh No! not at all. I am thinking about the dumbass, who decided that turning right on to SH20 was not a good idea after all and proceeded to cut across two moving lines of traffic so she could get on the road to Three Kings, the really amazing thing was, no accident, but I am thinking, it won't be long.

Why oh why will New Zealanders constantly take the lives of themselves and their loved ones, not to mention other law abiding drivers and pedestrians and deliberately YES deliberately put them in harms way. I don't get it, someone please explain it to me.

Death Toll

Will have some fairly grim reading to post here shortly, yep the death toll is still climbing, sobering statistics that proves what I have been saying in this blog, NZ drivers are poor and need to step up their game.

It is rocket science we know, coupled with weak and knee jerk responses from government means that yet again the death toll from fatalities on the road is is triple figures 316 up to today with 2 months to run it looks like a bumper year for the funeral businesses. There as to be a better way and there is. Think before you engage gear!

More stats to come, some quite revelatory.

Women

Well it must be ladies day to day, as they are the only people trying to dispatch my to a higher state of consciousness (Heaven)

So there I am off to work, no cars in front of me good visibility, so what happens she, decides to join a queue of cars on the apex of the road, no worries, until you realise that she is blocking my lane completely, that’s ok, still 100 or so metres to go before I crash. And so I am left with a decision to make, into the bus lane or brake and stop the car in the middle of the main road, as you would expect I had to brake the law and move momentarily in the bus lane, why oh why. But wait there is more to come yet.

Another she, a fair 20 metres from a junction so one cars joins traffic, no problems there, now I am around 6 metres when she driving her little Nissan Micra, decides to “go for it”, yep I had to brake fairly hard to avoid her ass. What is New Zealand, is it the water, a row with the hubby or boyfriend, not had ya coffee, maybe you need to cause havoc on the roads, I don’t know, but please don’t take it out on me.

Incident number 3 NO NO NO your 4x4 is not a 18 wheel truck, were you can please yourself how you career down the Rd. Driving sensibly and staying alive is a good thing, with over 300 deaths on the road each year the tin box you are riding in is not a protection, and it gets worse as it’s a fact that 4x4s are the worst of all cars in an accident. Oh well I survived another day, maybe they will get me tomorrow

Phone law

Not sure why most of New Zealand as not tried to kill me today, is it possible that the rest of Auckland knows something I don’t. May it extend to another day, and another day, but I doubt it somehow, It could my own awareness is increasing, so making my journeys safer.

However, despite all that, the idiots are still out I reckon, just looking around and observing, it seems a good bet that Telecom and Vodafone had a good day today, it would appear, that with the pending law change regarding the use of mobile phones in cars, that a lot of people are trying to cover as many texts and conversations as possible before the date arrives.

I wonder is the police are up for this, policing such a law is going to be problematic if not impossible and there does seem some disdain by the public for things that are not liked, but wake up NZ this is a good law, one that will save your life, so get over it and comply

Shiny

Well the sun is shining, I am shining, the car is ....well dull, what is with the obsession in cleaning cars? the amount of detergents not matter how "green" is still going down the drains at an alarming rate and for what, so I can be shiny, using a good wax polish will inevitably cut down of the the numbers of washes required. Besides the the paint coating on cars seem to be a bit more water resistant. It's a thought.

Bliss

Isn't it just bliss, no buses on the road, the bad news is, they will probably be back on thursday, this strike come lockout as been a double edged sword, on the one hand no buses, not a bad thing at times, given the standard of some bus drivers who genuinely think they own the road, when everyone knows it taxi drivers.

On the other hand the increase in cars as meant more grid lock, a slower journey to work and the dog fight that is finding a parking space, come back bus drivers all is forgiven, I would give them the money, then we can get back to normal, and I can stay in bed for that extra half hour. Now where that $2 donation?

Update on Survey

It as to be said that it was unscientific however the verdict is in, the final result was not as bad as I predicted, but much worse than it should be, 22 times I have had to take some form of evasive action because some idiot cut me up. 3 of those incidents would have lead to a crash had not the evasive action been severe, I am taking about having to brake hard or move lanes in order to avoid a collision, and still the madness continues.

What I find amazing is that the accident rate isn't higher, I guess that's down the the defensive driving tactics New Zealanders have to adhere to.

On a more idiot note, well done the nutter in the red Alfa Rome, who decided not only to use a bus lane, an illegal move in its own right, but decided to revers up that bus lane into oncoming traffic for about 100 metres, nice one, you obvious have a death wish, I hope you get your wish soon.

Cut up update

Well it's Tuesday evening, and so far the score is 15, yes 15 times that I have been cut up by inconsiderate motorists, I must admit, at this stage I did think it would be higher, but there is another few days to go as yet. I reckon it will get to around 25.

However there is even more insidious news, thanks to the Holden driver who ran a red light and nearly took me out, I was walking to the car, what a total idiot, pity he didn't stop I was furious, genuine  pedestrian rage.

Survey

Well It needed to be done and I am currently at day two, so what is this survey? Well it's a survey to see how many times I get cut up every day over a week. So far the count is 9, which by NZ standards is quite low, however got to get through the weekend, so tis will no doubt rocket.

So what's the definition of being cut up, simple any vehicle that pulls in front of me, from any part of the road making me take some evasive action, like break, to move to avoid hitting them, simple really and something I reckon most Aucklander's have to tolerate, well I'm sorry 'cos I for one am not prepared to tolerate, what amounts to rude and dangerous behaviour, just 'cos I leave a space between to car in front doesn't mean you have to fill it, WAIT!!

I will return to this subject with an update, I reckon it will be well into double figures.