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Bad habits, lack of education, call it what you like. Inattentive drivers are dangerous individuals who fail to distinguish between the drivers seat and the lounge suite and in some extreme circumstances, the breakfast table.. Yes, I've seen a motorist with a bowl of cereal in one hand and a spoon in the otherHmmm! Doesn't bare thinking about, does it. Let's hope the gearbox is automatic at least! Perhaps the same person reads the newspaper on the way home. We've all seen that at least once I'm sure!

Should we admire or admonish the ladies who sleep in an extra half hour, knowing they can apply their make-up on the expressway? They must be magicians being able to meticulously line their lips and their eyes without losing sight of the traffic. Maybe the truth isthey think they are the only drivers on the road!

The worst modern day offender has to be the mobile phone addict, although there's a good chance you'll find a DVD player in the dash of his car just to alleviate the boredom of a long drive to work. Fortunately the GPS between him and the windscreen means there's no need to even think about where he's going.

Smokers, they say, are a dying breed. Well, when they reach across to light a cigarette and the car starts to drift into another lane, its not really surprising. Then the window is wound down to share the ash with the environment and eventually discard the butt in the same direction. Now there's a collection of familiar bad habits.

These situations would be laughable if the potential consequences were not so serious. Nothing could be simpler when driving than being mutually aware of other road users and acknowledging them occasionally.

People who drive in the fast lane at a ridiculously slow pace may not even be aware of the frustration and potential problems they are generating. Those who diverge constantly and without notice achieve nothing while risking everything.

Some motorists can even claim to justify their habits with a cause. One of my favourites is the slow crawl to a red light, motivated by an idiosyncrasy to save fuel. That's fine for the automatic vehicles. It doesn't actually achieve anything except frustration for the guy behind with the manual gearbox......especially if he's a truck driver.

We all have driving habits which are a source of annoyance to others, I'm sure. When the radio is sending you crazy with talkback and dreary music, you feel compelled to replace it with a cd. There's nothing wrong with that as long it doesn't detract from responsible driving. Most importantly, play it at an audible level. Don't entertain the rest of the highway. After all, emergency vehicles need to be heard too.

Learn more about this author, Leonard J Sherrott.
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