Overtaking on the inside
Ethelward Emilius Vella (February 11) is quite right when he highlights the danger (and in other countries, the illegality) of overtaking on the "inside". He is also right to suggest that for safety's sake, drivers should sound their horn or flash...
Ethelward Emilius Vella (February 11) is quite right when he highlights the danger (and in other countries, the illegality) of overtaking on the "inside". He is also right to suggest that for safety's sake, drivers should sound their horn or flash their lights to alert the driver in front to move over to the inner (slower) lane.
On my return to Malta three years ago - having driven in the UK for over 35 years - I followed the rules of the road by flashing my lights at slow-moving vehicles hogging the outside (fast) lane on the St Paul's Bay by-pass. However, I discovered that the majority of drivers in Malta never use their rear-view or wing mirrors, so my "appeal" was constantly ignored. And when I tried sounding my horn, I got the middle finger treatment, or a V-sign, stuck out of the preceding driver's window (and on occasions, a mouthful of abuse).
What is most frustrating is seeing lorries with markings on their mud-flaps which warn you not to overtake on the inside, yet with the driver ignoring all vehicles behind him and driving at 15mph in the outside lane.
What does one do when one meets such discourtesy on our roads?
Incidentally, are cars imported in Malta without indicators? Or are drivers unaware they should be used to indicate every manoeuvre - especially when moving away from the kerb into traffic?