While driving on Regional Road from Bugibba a few days ago I was awarded the highest accolade one can receive from a local bus driver - the oustretched hand with the "middle finger salute"! My heinous crime? I had moved from the outer to the inner lane just before the traffic lights at the entrance to St Julians.

Unfortunately this meant that the bus, which was more than 60 yards behind me at the time, had to slightly slow down as it turned left into St Julians.

I must admit that this felt like the worst criticism of my driving skills imaginable, as I feel that some local bus drivers need to retake their driving test and understand that practices such as stopping in the middle of the road without indication, steaming through stop signs without slowing down and operating buses that do not have a full complement of brake lights are annoying if not downright dangerous and should be discouraged.

While on this subject, can anyone tell me with what regularity the far too numerous trucks and lorries that inhabit this fair isle undertake VRT certification? It seems to me that many of them, especially those that service the refuse collection, require major surgery, or maybe just a blind eye, to pass.