I'm a driver. I love driving. I much prefer to drive than to be driven. It's not that I'm a nervous passenger per se, I just drive the entire journey with that person, indicating in my head when they should, braking in my head when they should, shaking my fist at the idiot drivers in my head when they do, etc. etc. But Christ yesterday I realised that I'd had enough of driving for a while and would happily steer clear of the motor car for at least a day! 

First experience was had as I drove southbound on the M50. I had the pleasure to, quite literally, come across the charming driving of a business vehicle, aka the buck driving the van emblazoned D. McMahon Roofing, Tallaght on the side. This buck clearly thought he was King of the Road as he slid across three lanes of traffic, indicating for half of the time, sailing right into my drive path and nearly cutting me in two. So of course in a lady like fashion I flashed him; the lights that is, which for me IS lady like, I could have honked him out of it, roared out the window, given him the two fingers, but no I just flashed the lights to warn him (more than once!) that I was there and he'd almost taken me out with him.  Anyway, so I’m continuing in lane two, which he’s already cut right across and he's in lane one....when I’m coming up behind him he has his two fingers pressed up against his window as he drives along and then glares at me. What an ignorant individual!  So of course I just mouth “Charming” and note name and number of the vehicle in question. It may be something to note, charming roofer, that if you're going to be that rude and ignorant on the road after breaking every law in the book, you might want to do so in an unmarked van?? Just a suggestion!

Later that evening, I'm heading off to a light class of aqua aerobics (or so I thought it would be!)  I'm crossing a relatively main junction on the south side of the city, we have the lights and there's a van in front turning right. I'm going straight. So as he turns, the light is going amber, but I’ve already crossed the line for stopping. Hey I've been known in my day to scream "Commiiiitttteeeeed" as I fly through an amber light and have no issue in admitting it. This, was not one of those times. Anyway, I've already crossed the line for stopping and when the van in front turns right this little starlet JUMPS THE LIGHTS and I nearly go into her. Frickin' learner driver too.  I jammed the breaks, ABS totally working, massive thud sound as the tyres hit the ground and what does she and her ee-git of a friend do? Stare dopily at me as they tentatively drive on and me screaming FOR FUCK SAKE at them. I'm sorry but my lady like reserve was used up by D. McMahon Roofing earlier that day.  Shaking like a leaf, I then have to reverse from the middle of the road as all the cars are coming up and down the main road, with loads of pedestrians looking at me like I’d knocked down a little old lady. Might I, for the record, state that the learner driver was in the wrong as I, driving ahead, had right of way over her, crossing over the road. OMG still fuming even thinking about it.