1 October

Had a quick drive in and out of Sydney yesterday, and observed driver behaviour as I always do. What I found. About 30% of drivers were consistently below or well below the speed limit. About 40% of drivers were consistently above or well above the speed limit. Trying to overtake the first slower group transformed most of them instantly into members of the other group. Other fun behaviours I observed, and see time and time again. The speeding crowd have zero patience for anybody else on the road now. If you’re in a line of vehicles overtaking a slower vehicle, often you won’t be overtaking fast enough for their liking, so they’ll try to undertake you, to jump the overtaking queue. Similarly vehicles joining a road from side roads now often simply drive into the path of oncoming cars, expecting the whole queue of cars to slam their brakes on to make room for them. They can’t wait 10-15 seconds for traffic to pass. And towing. Fuck me, the towing. Wankpanzers with trailers loaded up with tonnes of gear, driving as if they’re in a hatchback. Coming into Lithgow yesterday two of them were holding up a line of cars, which is fine. But then the overtaking lanes arrived and both suddenly hit 120. Several tonnes of metal being towed between them. Even semi-trailers doing this sort of thing now. Road behaviour reveals a deeper culture. I now call it Permanent Year 9. Kidult culture. That’s the level of adult responsibility out there, in all walks of life. And I feel that’s unfair to Year 9 kids.