The Usual Muppets...

I've observed a lot of driving over Christmas, and in the run-up to the New Year; Most of this has been after the sun has gone down, while I'm at work, driving a bus, of course.

There are a few of things I've noticed; note that this is just the tip of the iceberg... brief mentions for these Darwin Award contenders include:

• The growing number of people who seem to think that they have the ability to drive with their lights off, during the hours of darkness... What, are they wearing night-vision goggles or something?
  People, WAKE UP! The reason you can see everyone else, is because they DO have their lights on - the rule of thumb here is that if the street lights are on, then your lights should be on, too!
• Next up is the number of people who appear to have graduated from the school of telepathic signalling.
  For the rest of us mere mortals, these are folks who fail to visually indicate what bone-headed manoeuvre they're about to pull, while at the same time stamping on the anchors, forcing you to either swerve to avoid colliding with them, stamp on your brakes for the same reason (thus causing a ripple effect for motorists behind you), or being unlucky enough to actually collide with the would-be space cadet in front of you - if not all three in the same instant.
• The increasing number of cyberpeople using their hand-held mobile phones while driving... folks, it's illegal for a damned good reason. How far do you travel in one second at thirty miles per hour? Any idea?
  Hint: It's in the Highway Code.
  And while you're jabbering away, your phone is hiding what's happening to one side of you, and CRUNCH, you just wiped out an elderly lady pushing her trolley across the junction as you turned in without either looking, indicating, or, well, you get the idea. bad move. Don't do it, please get off that phone NOW!
• The crash test dummies who fail to leave a suitable gap between their car and the one in front, and CRUNCH.
  Yep, they didn't see the traffic building up ahead of the car in front of them, and couldn't react in time to stop safely... There's your insurance premium going up again, folks.

I'm sure you've seen even more bone-headed, irrational, insane, and frankly muppet-like driving over the Silly Season; here's hoping you don't suffer the effects of it - drive safe in 2014, and Happy New Year!