Police embarrassed, but polite…

http://coldwaterjohn.wordpress.com/?attachment_id=184

Stopped going through a small village south of Glasgow, by the Police, siren wailing, and blue lights flashing, en route to Ireland in March, driving my LHD BMW. (No, I don’t have personalised plate, but changed it for posting on web!)
Right Brain was on the phone to son.
I stepped out of nearside door, and walked back to the police car, with Right Brain still on the phone:
“What’s the problem, Constable? ”
“Please return to the car and ask the driver to drive through the village and pull over. A chargeable offence has been committed – using a mobile phone whilst driving. ”
“But I AM the driver…”
Gradual dawning that the person using the mobile phone did not have a steering wheel – cue for:
“My apologies, Sir, I see it’s a Left Hand Drive….” but at least he did apologise politely, and didn’t scuttle around the car trying to find something else to book me for – all credit to the Strathclyde Police.

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Author: coldwaterjohn

CWJ travelled extensively with his family, having worked in eleven countries over thirty years. A keen photographer, holding a Private Pilot's Licence, he focuses mainly on landscape and aerial imagery. Having worked in the Middle East extensively he follows developments in that region with particular interest, and views with growing concern, the radicalisation flowing from Islamic fundamentalism, and the intolerance for opposing views, stemming from it.

8 thoughts on “Police embarrassed, but polite…”

  4. Soutie Probably not a bad idea, given the state of driving in RSA. It’s a little tricky on non dual-carriageway/motorway roads – Right Brain has to be positioned in the righthand “suicide” seat, as I pull out to tell me if anything is coming. On left hand bends curiously, as an LHD you can see round the bend, which would be obscured by the vehicle in front on an RHD. On single track roads in the Highlands it doesn’t make a whit of difference as you can’t overtake anyway.

    RR There was some small degree of amusement, I must admit, but of course tinged with some regret that I had caused the young man such embarrassment?

  6. We get this every time we drive abroad.
    When will the world wake up and realise driving on the left is natural and was always the case until that stupid little Frenchman changed it to the driving on the right.

    Let’s all go back to driving on the left.

  7. RR I do drive on the left, or I would have a very short-lived lifespan in the UK!
    Was it not in Ireland that they were considering switching to the right? – lorries were to go first, with cars to follow a fortnight later?

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