TIME FOR SOME MANNERS?

An AA patrol man once told me that urban traffic would flow a lot more smoothly if drivers were a bit more courteous at T-junctions. He said this whilst I was spending the day with him for an article and we happened to get stuck in traffic near a right-hand turn. He then allowed the next driver in the side junction to pull out in front of him.

I often think of his advice when I’m sitting in a queue of traffic with car after car turning right down the road I’m on without letting a single bugger out first.

Now I know that there can be problems with taking on responsibility for letting drivers pull out, by either waving them on or flashing your lights.

The Highway Code says: ‘Flashing headlights. Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there.

‘Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.’

It’s sensible advice, even more so now that the whole “flash for cash” scam is just coming to light.

But if you just remain stationary, most drivers get the message that you’re waiting for them and are pretty good at doing their own visual checks first. And the few seconds that it adds to your journey is nothing compared to the time it can save for the drivers waiting to pull out.

So, whilst I don’t want to sound Victor Meldrew-like, is it about time we were more courteous on the roads?