Earlier this month, I went on a trip to Goulburn with Jordan and his girlfriend Bianca to pick up Jordan’s “new” car. As with most first cars, it was not really new, but very second-hand and loaded up with all the unnecessary things that are so very important to a young guy. Things like the car being MK2, not MK1, having fully braced aftermarket ECU and upgraded coils. However, no mention was made of brakes, tyre condition and stuff important to adults. Given the fact that the gumby was not even on his P-plates as yet, it would be his girlfriend Bianca driving the car home, so I decided that a little adult supervision would not go astray. Plus, it would stop me from checking my phone every five minutes to see if they were still alive.

The trip there was uneventful, excluding a side trip to Campbelltown to locate McDonalds. Both of them had arrived at my place looking slightly the worse for wear, and obviously had not eaten any breakfast. That I could have addressed this at my place did not occur to either of them. The F5 is in dire need of places that allow you to buy coffee and something to eat until you are almost in Goulburn, and the two of them did not look as though they were going to last that long.

We arrived in Goulburn to a balmy eight degrees. The seller met us in a park, near the Mobil service station. This did not exactly leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. However, I was assured that Jordan’s father had checked all the relevant details before the offer was even made. Bianca, the ever-vigilant loans officer, took photos of everything, and I mean everything. The seller, his mate, his mates’ car, his rego. Not too sure how this would help us, but at least we had evidence of some sort. Deal completed, money paid and receipted, we were on our way home.

I have travelled the road between Sydney/Goulburn/Sydney so often in the last two years I’ve lost count. Occasionally, I encounter an individual who thinks that the right-hand lane is just fine, despite the fact that they are not actually overtaking. However, all these people have been happy to move over to the left-hand lane once it was safe to do so and we could all carry on with no problems. But for the first time ever, I encountered a driver who was beyond erratic and pig-headed . Sitting in the right-hand lane, her speed fluctuated between 90 and 110. As soon as she reached 110, she would brake hard back to 100. This on a road where 110 is the allowed speed. No amount of light flashing and even once sounding my horn would make this individual move to the left. After about 10 km, I and about six other cars behind me did the wrong thing and overtook her on the left. The look of sheer righteousness on the driver’s face beggared belief. I truly hope that she has not since caused a fatality.