Drive carefully

I was riding my horse out in the desert in the one afternoon just at sunset time last week . We were just approaching the fence that surrounds the area, when a driver in a black Hyundai sedan  drove past, way faster than  the speed limit. He probably did not see me and the horse, because he were in a hurry, well above the speed limit (I just said it, didn't I?) and the car engine and gear box sounded like they are about to give up. Solution: drive slower or get a car with more powerful engine. I wasn't really thinking about that poor car at the time, but right now I think that car's lifespan may not be very long...

My horse got spooked (and so did I), but I managed to keep her walking for another five minutes. Then she started to speed up, trotting sideways, shaking her head and because I didn't want to fall off I had to dismount and walk back to the stable.

In all fairness, there are no cameras watching over that part of the road, so 90% of the drivers conveniently forget about the speed limit. I think someone should be made aware of the lack of observing speed limits in the camp and ask them to install more cameras.

I worked hard to be able to ride my horse out of the arena and the last few rides have been quite pleasant, however that ride last week ride really began to destroy my self-confidence again. I will take more lessons and next time I head out, I hope there won't be any race drivers around.For your own sake, I hope you were wearing a seat belt. For your sake, I hope a police catches you next time before you injure other road users.

The horse disapproves speeding.

Stop signs and winter

This cold (it's all relative, but +7C is cold here) weather must be impacting some people's ability to drive a car. A dark blue Chevrolet Malibu ran a red light and nearly hit me lat week. I just hope the camera in the intersection caught him! Idiot. And yes, I had a green light.
Another near miss yesterday. I was on the main road and I see a taxi (Chevrolet Tahoe, possibly. A big SUV anyway) approaching from the right and he would have definitely seen me coming unless he was blind. I am beginning to believe that he was blind, because he couldn't see the stop sign!Stop sign! You know that red sign. I applied brakes just in time, because this guy just kept coming! As a result all my stuff on the backseat flies all over the place and same goes with the stuff in the trunk. Just that moment when it all happens so quickly, my first thought was to get out of the car, take a photo of the guy and his car and then beat him up. Instead I drive away shouting abuse at him.
I've learned my lesson after the first near miss (why is it always a Chevrolet...?) and my dashboard camera was on.The camera angle wasn't exactly right, but I got the footage I needed and the driver will soon be caught and barbecued. He had no passengers in the car, thanks be to God.
If I was a suicidal lunatic, I probably wouldn't have stopped.

C'mon guys, it can't be that difficult to stop at a Stop sign and have a proper look. Maybe I should also add that both of the drivers were men. Nothing against men driving, but I'm just saying.

According to Wikipedia: "A stop sign is a traffic sign to notify drivers that they must stop before proceeding", and here's the sign- I hope it's big enough. Thanks Wikipedia.

Traffic safety part VIII

This definitely is one of those traffic related posts, again, so if traffic and stupid drivers don't interest you, just wait for the next blog post.
Everyone, even schoolkids (who are actually very smart these days) know that days get shorter and nights are longer. Therefore it can still be dark in the mornings. Would it then make sense to find out if your car has something called "headlights" and once that's done, then learn how to use the headlights. If your car is not equipped with headlights, consider taking public transport or painting your car with a fluorescent color. If your car is grey, beige, some sort of dark color, it kind of acts as a camouflage and I can't see you and your posh Nissan Maxima coming from wherever you are coming from. Even worse, if it's a so called luxury car. You would not want anyone to bump into your precious car, would you? So headlights do help. They may save your life and mine. My car is black, but that does not matter, because my headlights are on.

Don't even get me started on motorbikes and cyclists. Often you see them when it's already too late.
I'm not even going to mention those who drive 20mph, when the speed limit is 70mph.

Life in the city

It is most interesting to observe people whilst walking to college every morning. Almost everyone is in a hurry and going somewhere. Those who aren't, stand in the middle of the sidewalk and annoy others. Or those with backpacks and maps, who wander aimlessly. Annoying.
I've lost count how many times I've been targeted by an elbow into ribs or just a casual bone breaking bump into various other parts of my body. The faster I walk, the more it hurts. Until I learned to walk defensively and now get my own space quite easily. The City of London is no place for a morning stroll.
They talk about cyclists, and how dangerous cycling is in London. Very true. A young woman died last week near where I live in an accident, where she was hit by a lorry. On most days I pass by the set of traffic lights near the Bank underground station and there are still flowers in the memory of this young woman. I quite fancied a bicycle ride to work, but then realized I am close enough to the college and walking is an option. Being smashed by a passerby with a handbag or an occasional elbow into ribs is still a lot better than riding a bike in heavy traffic in an unknown place.

Riding a bike on the left side of the road is another challenge... I may have done it in the past, yes, in London, but I think those adventurous days are over.

July 7, 2015. Ten years on from the date when London was struck by terrorist attack. I was here and remember walking home, because there was no public transport. 52 people lost their lives and more than 700 were injured. I was watching a documentary about the events on that day on TV yesterday. I often wonder what would have happened had I boarded one of trains or the bus. There were delays in the morning and I took another Circle line train. I usually took the DLR to Bank and walked to work from there. This time I took an alternate route, and must have passed Aldgate station not long before it all happened. I'm obviously still here writing this, but it could have easily been a very different story.
On this coming July 7, we'll walk again. #WalkTogether www.bit.ly
Take care of yourselves.

Near misses

I needed to buy groceries yesterday evening and return books to the library and thought quick drive is all it takes to get to the supermarket and back. I got to the market without any kind of accident or incident, miracle really since there was a lot of traffic and people all over the place.
Return journey was a different journey. Two very close calls, when a dark grey Ford Flex (yes one of those box-like horrible structures that looks like on old Toyota Hi-Ace) pulled in front of me in the middle of the intersection even though it was my turn to go. Those couple of inches between us were probably enough to save us from an accident that time. Thanks be to God none of us were driving fast, but once the Ford driver (=idiot) cleared the intersection, he (I'm sure it is a "he") carried on driving way faster than the 40km/h speed limit. I finally caught him turning into a parking lot and really had to force myself to drive home and not go and beat him up.
Then the next set of red lights and turning left down the hill another car on the left hand side of the lanes heading downhill began to drift closer and closer to my lane. BS!!! *$%#@&!!!! When the driver realized they narrowly avoided a crash and taking my side mirror with them, they pulled back into their own lane and I finally caught them in the traffic lights. It was a gold colored car, possibly Japanese and looked a lot like a car that these people had stolen from their daddy. Had it not been the red lights, and open car windows, I'd not have know the car was full of young women in their early 20's if not less. I just thought they'd be lucky if they survive the night on the road. Death wish? What tragedy if the four of them died on the road just because the driver thinks it's all fun and games on the road.

Shame. I'm not sure women in Saudi Arabia will ever get to drive, but I hope they will, if they choose to do so. But those young ladies should be banned from driving ever.

More hazards...

I thought I'd not have to bring up traffic issues, driving behaviors etc anymore, but how wrong I was. It's disgusting how people drive. Not everyone, some are brilliant drivers. This time it's just from the point of view of someone, who walks every day.
I walk 4-5km, takes me less than an hour in an ideal world. Would it not be those speeding cars and those, who feel there is no need to use the signal, so that others have to keep on guessing where this person and his massive SUV are about to turn. Even pedestrian crossings don't help in saving poor walker's life. When I first started walking again after the operation, I found a route around the block, on the sidewalk and there was no need to cross the road. I was safe.. so I thought anyway. A so-called taxi service car tried to kill me on one of those crosswalks today. I could not read the driver AKA idiot's mind and he was about to turn right, when I was in the middle of the road. Just inches to spare. I saw his face, but did not get the license plate number. Another vehicle full of "employees" of some company signaled right, but because I was already on my way and crossing the road, couple of steps short of the sidewalk, I thought I could just carry on. These guys in their old crappy pick-up take the turn on two wheels and almost roll over. Slowing down would have been the best option. Well, that;'s just my opinion.

Then I realized I can walk further and further each day. Mistake. Multiply these incidents I described above by three, and you get the picture: no one wants to slow down. That makes me want to scream and take a photo of the offending vehicle+driver. Yeah and call the police.

Another thing: headlights. I don't know how this is related to color of the car, but it seems the darker the color, the less likelihood that the headlights are on. It must be an awful challenge to switch those lights on or not knowing where/how to switch the lights on. Ask your neighbor.

These are the reasons that adds up to 15 minutes to my walk, but each time I am glad I am back home in one piece. It's definitely a worry now that days get darker so soon, but drivers don't realize there are few things for them to do. People, who walk outside, will have to think about their safety very carefully. Be visible in traffic and practice defensive walking. I guess those who run, can get out of the way much faster.

Near misses in traffic

Once again traffic safety drives me into writing, pun intended. Nothing else matters to some ignorant idiots out there, it's them and just them on the road. Nothing slows them down. Hey, wait, scene of accident does. That always invites curious onlookers, who liken it to Broadway performance. Once the scene has been passed in safety of person's own car, seatbelted of course, headlights on, car in good repair, journey can go on 150km/h.
Highway or not.
It amazes me that not even the fact that unfortunate family members, friends and colleagues, who fall into victims of car accidents, do not teach lessons to speeding drivers. Kids still do not get their own car seats, and seat belts are considered unnecessary. 130km/h speed is nothing really and speed limits, well, who needs those. 

Paying fine and jail sentence are all good as punishment. Losing drivers license may not really have any effect, because driver is always a driver, and will jump into the first car they see. Theirs or someone else's. How about arranging a visit to the city morgue and or intensive care unit? Rehab center? Voluntary work in all of the above? What really is the most effective punishment to such crime?

Driving home each afternoon along two lane busy road is a frightening experience at least once a week. I was on the left hand lane last week, wanting to drive straight. Another driver next to me desperately wanted the same lane, but could/would not use the indicator, and wanted to turn left. Well good for him that my passenger noticed and I let him pass, but not without showing HIM the well-known international finger symbol. Man, he wanted to make U-turn! And never ever heard of indicator. What sort of driving school did these people attend? This is a very typical near miss that happens every day. Then there are those driving inches away from your rear bumper, those who can't decide which lane they want. And those, that drive 30km/h in rush hour traffic. And ancient old motorbikes. Bicycles.. Sigh.

Be safe in traffic Part II

Remembering the YouTube video I was watching yesterday, still amazed that some lucky people escaped without major injuries, I was driving home from work. Driving on the right lane (as opposed to wrong), and all of a sudden there is this yellow car next to me, out of nowhere, just inches to spare. The driver of that car attempted to turn right, but apparently did not bother looking ahead and to the right, where he/she was heading. Driver also did not know how to use the signal.

 http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turn-signal.htm website explains it well:
"In the American southeast, which up until recently was comprised mainly of small towns, it's said that drivers don't use their turn signals because everyone knows where you're going anyway. Turn signals may be the most underutilized device on a car. Yet signaling is one of the most important actions you can take as a driver, warning other drivers of your impending moves to minimize hazardous surprises. You might not see a car in your blind spot, but that car's driver might see your turn signal start to blink before you move into his lane. Failing to signal may be the cause of quite a few accidents, and is probably a big source of "road rage" as well."


 Yellow car driver!!!Yellow!!!! I can't possibly read your mind. Turn left, right, whatever, but please don't destroy mine and my passengers' lives. Back to driving school and a hefty fine, that's what you need. 

Other than that, my day was good. 

Dear colleague and friend of mine was buried yesterday. May she rest in peace.