It seems to me in this day and age if you are a motorcyclist you had better be wary – of police and public.
If you are caught speeding or driving in a manner that might upset other road users or even (God forbid) wear a tinted visor instead of sunglasses, you can fully expect expect a fine, points or even being reported to the procurator fiscal, which coul
d result in loss of licence or even job.
All this might seem a bit heavy-handed if no-one was injured and no other vehicle was involved. Perhaps officers' discretion is a thing of the past, when you would get a stern lecture on the possible outcome of your actions and sent away with a flea in your ear and a warning that next time you would not be so lucky.
In this day and age we want our roads to be safe for all users, so you would expect the same treatment for any motorist who pulls out into the path of another road user (causing injury and upset, loss of earnings and mode of transport). Sadly, if the other road user happened to be on a motorcycle this does not seem to be the case.
Knock a grandfather over with a motorcycle and there would no doubt be an outrage – knock a grandfather from his motorcycle and it doesn't even warrant a small paragraph in the local paper.
Surely your choice of transport should not define how you are treated by police or other road users.
To Joe Public, the next time you carve up a motorcyclist at a junction and drive away giving rude gestures from your window, think on this, when that helmet comes off you might just find yourself looking at your local GP, bank manager or, in this case, an ordained member of the clergy.
J. Easton
Selkirk
Regarding 'Under-fire BEAR announces probe into Jedburgh accident blackspot' (Southern, August 21), there is no such thing as an accident blackspot.
All roads are safe, all cars are safe – it is human error almost 100 per cent of the time.
Newspapers are no exception. They seem to concentrate on 'blackspots' and 'danger roads'. There is no such thing.
It is drivers who are drunk, on the phone or smoking. The main reason is speed and not driving with due care for the condition of the road.
Practice your driving every time you get into your car, van or lorry. Driving standards would improve and there would be fewer crashes.
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The full article contains 432 words and appears in Southern Reporter newspaper.
