As we move to level 2, I find I’m already a little nostalgic for the empty streets of level 4. It meant I always knew how long it was going to take to get to and from work, because traffic was never a factor. What I found odd, though, was that there was a certain percentage of drivers – maybe ten percent? – who could not seem to help themselves, and just had to drive at excessive speeds. Maybe the wide open roads triggered something in their (tiny) brains that they couldn’t resist. It made no sense, because there were still the same number of police on the roads, so their chances of being pinged was actually higher than at any other time. I had the pleasure of seeing two different people whizz past me, only for me to pass them several minutes later, looking downcast with a police officer standing by their window, writing a ticket. Very satisfying, with perhaps a little schadenfreude thrown in for good measure.
I remember being a young speed freak many decades ago. I generally aimed for 115 kph on the open road, which was problematic in my jap import Honda Prelude, because it had a little alarm that dinged regularly whenever you went over 105. That meant I spent most trips driving to the sound of bong-bong-bong. I got used to it but it did use to dismay any infrequent passengers. As the years went by, with age and wisdom and experience looking after people who had been mashed up in high speed car accidents, plus a hatred of paying enormous amounts on petrol, I usually aim now for around 97kph (easier now with adaptive cruise control). If that makes me a nana then so be it.
My parents used to have a bumper sticker that said “For economy and safety I’m for eighty!”. This was back in the eighties when we were debating putting the speed limit up to 100. Huh – what could go wrong?? It still amazes me that we tolerate hundreds of people dying on our roads every year. At the time, I remember wondering whether the bumper sticker was in kilometres or miles per hour, which just goes to show book smarts doesn’t necessarily relate to common sense (80 mph equaling around 130 kph). Also, could I not have just asked them? Strange child.