It is sad for pet owners if they do lose their animals on the roads, and also distressing for those who inadvertently hit any animal. But pet owners should know they are putting their animals lives at risk if they let them roam free. They should also be aware that they risking causing accidents and death to people if they let their animals stray onto roads, as many people will swerve instinctively to avoid them and may lose control, hit oncoming vehicles, trees, walls etc. And these people may be driving sensibly within speed limits. We can't do much about wild animals (except provide under-road passageways etc). And sheep are notorious for finding the smallest gaps and getting onto roads.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nightshade  There is another side to this coin, the very very slow politically correct drivers
that drive seriously under the speed limit and slow normal temperate drivers
down to a frustrating crawl. |
I wonder if you'd class me as one of them ... I'm a stickler for speed limits. I certainly don't crawl along, but I don't speed either. And I do drive according to the road conditions, something that many do not do, they seem to think that the speed limit is the required
minimum speed whatever the conditions ... And I do try to keep the safe braking distance between me and the car in front. I love the section of the M1 where it is marked on the roads, to check your distance ... suddenly the cars get much more spaced apart as people think about it. Then bit by bit they close up again as they forget, and switch to their old patterns.
It is amazing how many frustrated drivers you get behind yourself if you are doing 39mph in a 40mph limit area ... or 30mph in a 30 mph area. Or, in rural areas if you drop down to the required speed through villages ... you can see certain drivers getting quite red in the face because you are in front and doing what you are legally required to do. And I refuse to get intimidated by them when they drive aggressively right up your backside to try to force you to do the illegal speed they want to do. If you do 70 mph on the motorway, just watch how many cars are overtaking you, and just how many are doing more than 60mph on the likes of the non-dual carriageway parts of the A1. I suspect there are many 1000s of drivers regularly and deliberately breaking the speed limit to every 'politically correct' driver. In fact I can't remember when I last came across a 'politically correct' driver ... an elderly person doing a local trip to the shops, yes, who drives according to their limitations ... quite a few tractors ... a few lorry drivers who drive appropriately on winding lanes. And yes, quite a few who do diligently adjust their speeds to keep within the speed limit.
It is also interesting how people want speed curb measures on the road outside their homes, but hate them on other roads, where they see them as a nuisance ..
Melanie