Keep your distance
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Last week I went to see a doctor with a possible heart
problem – which I’m convinced is a combination of 25 years of alcohol and caffeine abuse, and being forced to spend too much time with my mother-in-law (about 30 minutes every fortnight). The doctor agreed, telling me to cut out beer, coffee and stress. I was doing fine until yesterday when I had an encounter with an Italian truck driver on the M25, who tailgated me for several miles. The variable speed limit was set to 50mph, which I was doing in the inside lane. The problem was that he was doing exactly the same speed no more than 6ft away from my back seat. It was intimidating and I can only imagine what this would do to an inexperienced driver.
After five minutes of getting wound-up by his aggressive driving I decided to give him a Gareth Hunt-style wave out of the sunroof. I can only assume that they never showed those 1980s Nescafé adverts in Italy because he mistook my gesture as a sign of aggression. He promptly attempted to run me off the road by finally overtaking, then cutting back in when he was level with me. I was forced on to the hard shoulder to avoid being dragged halfway to Dover.
It’s not just foreign drivers who are guilty of tailgating. Last week the Road Haulage Association urged its members to raise the issue with their drivers after being contacted by West Yorkshire police. A number of LGV drivers are ignoring the 50mph speed limit between junctions 25 and 30 on the M62, harassing and tailgating vehicles in front of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that we are talking about just a minority of drivers, but unfortunately the actions of a few can tarnish the reputation of the entire industry. Will Shiers