Whilst browsing some old newspapers I came across an article that I thought some of us may appreciate.
Extract from Sunday Times (Perth, Western Australia), Sunday 4 August 1929, page 2
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DRIVERS WHO IRRITATE
Everyday Motorists We Meet on the Road
While naturally grateful for friendly lifts, nearly all motorists number among their acquaintances several whose driving never fails to irritate and annoy.
The always idignant type of driver is the cause of many uncomfortable moments to a more peaceful passenger.
He is usually a motorist of the older, school, rather testy, with decided opinions regarding the courtesy the road. He is always glad to observe and explain the off-side rule. His primary reason for motoring, it would seem, is to be able to encounter some instance of bad or selfish driving and castigate the offender something like, "What the ..... d'ye think you're doing? Imagine you own the ..... road? What you deserve to ride in, sir, is a ...... bath chair."
Another enthusiast who arouses qualms -of a slightly different nature- is the man who owns that wonderful piece of wreckage, the third-hand hotted-up sports car. It is this young man's proud boast that he will get you there in no time, and he thoroughly enjoys proving his words.
He scorns the luxury of hood and side curtains, so if it should rain when one is occupying a hard and precarious seat in his juggernaut, the only consolation is that he is careful to take greasy corners on two wheels instead of the customary four. Usually the car has threadbare covers that simply ask for punctures and a set of plugs that have spiteful tendencies to oil up.
The woman with an inferiority complex has excellent intentions. "Can I drop you anywhere?" she asks sweetly?" Having only recently dispensed with the services of her instructor the good women lets in the clutch too fiercely in getting away, with the inevitable result. "There! I knew I'd do that!" she exclaims, almost triumphantly. The self-starter whirrs impotently .... Would the passenger mind winding up the engine? .... After three journeys from seat to radiator and back again a start ls made to the accompaniment of some powerful examples of gear-crashing.
"Shall I pass this bus all right, do you think?" asks the harassed driver, doubtfully eyeing the large vehicle ahead. Eventually she makes up her mind, at precisely the wrong time, and perforce has to cut in, much to the caustic displeasure of the bus driver.
One woman driving is many a man's reason for walking.
Many motorists. are conversant with the persistent horn blower, the slow but sure sluggard, and the lady of liberties, and finally the super driver This superior individual has never been known to err. With a cigarette carelessly dangling from his mouth he is the epitome of nonchalance. He changes down on the hills at exactly the right moment, and his reversing is a poem of grace and judgment. In busy trafile he is cool, calm and efficient. On the open road he overtakes wisely, is never thwarted, and always chooses the safest, spots for a burst of speed.
Occasionally he will entertain by miraculous feats with the gear lever pretty changes up and down without using the clutch and other little tricks His smile implies - "I'll wager that you can't do all these things."
Which, for all these criticisms, is probably true
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So it seems that my feelings towards some of my fellow motorists are not something that has come along just because of the stresses of modern life!
