Preparing your car for the exodus

Yes. Isn’t it strange that it has come at the same time as “8c off” has appeared…

what a shame petrol prices have gone up for the holiday travel season.

Hint for those I’m about to overtake, if I’m already up your arse BEFORE the overtaking lane it means I’m going to do it quicker than you so GTFO of my way.

and FFS when overtaking on country roads do NOT lift off the go pedal and revert to your preset cruise control speed when you draw up next to the car being passed. Wait until you rejoin the correct lane. The bloke in the car behind you (or on the sports bike) will have a terrible few moments not running up your clacker.

Plus 1 to all the overtaking advice.

Have just done the trip up from the coast, on one of the region’s B roads (more like a D road, but I won’t start that again).

Got behind a small group of 4 cars, doing about 90 to 95, probably because nobody was game to overtake – you know, the typical clusterfuck of cars slowly gathering moss as each driver dreamily weighs their options against the contents of their wallets and remaining licence points. Was able to get around all four very quickly by not hanging around too long on the wrong side of the road. Which brings me to my point: there have been several posts in the last 6 weeks or so directly or tangentially related to road safety – and no sign of WMC. Where’d he go?

By the way, could not see the dick & balls graffiti on Pooh Corner – but then I couldn’t really look too closely.

Dont sit at 90 then speed up to 100 in the overtaking lanes. That is the reason the Kenworth is sitting up your arse……….

When overtaking, check you have plenty of room, then pass quickly – don’t jerk around for ages on the wrong side of the road. Use your indicators. Make sure you can overtake in around half the visible distance, in case another vehicle comes the other way. If you aren’t comfortable overtaking, that’s OK, just hang back a bit from the vehicle in front, as others will want to pass and may need to use this space as they pass you. Obviously, don’t pass on corners, crests, or where you aren’t confident in controlling the vehicle while accelerating past. [\quote]

And don’t try and crowd out a driver who has more judgement than you and overtakes a line of cars on a long straight and has to nestle in in front of you towards the end of the straight. He will be gone from your dog-in-the-manger windscreen at the next decent straight anyway.

The key to successful overtaking is being proactive. As you approach a potential straight suitable for overtaking, hang back, and just before rounding the bend, start gaining on the Volvo that’s holding you up, and if the roads clear you can use the extra speed to quickly whip around on even a short straight. (This works against Italian mummy boys who try and speed up in their Lancias to stop you getting past as well). If the straight that appears isn’t suitable or has traffic coming the other way, it’s easy to back off and wait for the next opportunity. Using this slingshot method I can regularly be past the offending slowpoke in as little as 5 seconds after the straight is revealed, and have used it to successfully do over wankers who crawl round corners then flatten their V8s on the straights.

I was abused once by a moon unit on Christmas eve.

I was running a workshop who happened to do registration checks.

We were having a few bangers & beers, I wa on my second beer & this bloke rocks up wanting a rego check.

Him: Hi, cen I get a rego check?
Me: Sorry mate we are closed.
Him: Really, you ahve to do it by law (I think Oh fark here we go).
Me: I dont actually, I have to accept the booking at my convenience.
Him: (getting a bit shirty) I will ring RUS & blah, blah, blah.

I let him finish & then asked him: So when did you book your holidays?
Him: In October, why?
Me: Well maybe you should have sotrted your trailer then……

To that he told me to get effed & screamed off out of the driveway nearly running a customer over at the fuel bowser.

I went back to my beer.

I may have deserved it a little but it had been the end of an extremely busy December & I cant help it if he could not get his crap together.

When overtaking, check you have plenty of room, then pass quickly…

But while keeping an eye on the speedo to make sure you don’t go a single km/h over the posted limit, because that would be extremely dangerous.

I was always taught to think of a GPS as a naviagtion aid only. Fantastic when it works, bad when it is dropped/lost/stolen/no power and that is all you had.

Besides most people cant find the function which tells them the exact location. They only use the ‘Go To’ button