The fast and the frankly relieved….

HOORAH! I am back – did you miss me? As you’ve probably realised it’s been a fair while since I last regaled you with my exploits. And no – I have not been incommunicado due to any bike accidents! I’ve just not had any time due to personal issues. I’m still not quite with it (when am I ever!!)  but thought it was about time I got back to the keyboard 🙂

Not actually been biking too much as been busy for the afore-mentioned reasons but was surprised to find I racked up 4,000 miles enjoying the new man in my life :-P. In the first four months that we’ve been together, Silvano, my newest love, has turned out to be pure joy – I haven’t stopped grinning since we finally clicked. Mind you it took 2,000 miles for me to get my act together and he’s to be commended on his patience and coping with things like me dropping him….twice lol!

So what have I been up to? Well recently it involved a road, four wheels instead of my usual two, not quite being on the ball and a camera! Need I say more? The long and the short of it was I was offered an AA Speed Awareness course for which I had to pay the princely sum of £95 in return for four hours and no points. Bargain and I was frankly relieved to be offered it!

I’m mentioning the course here (despite it being brought about by car rather than bike) because it opened my eyes to some startling facts that I thought I’d pass on – hope I’ve remembered them correctly!:

• If you run into an adult at just 32mph in a 30mph zone the impact will be enough to break their legs – (pray you don’t hit a small child at what seems a teenie speed increase as their major internal organs, or heads, are obviously a lot lower!)
• If you run into anyone at 40mph in a 30mph you will probably leave them brain-damaged.
• More people are killed or injured on small country roads than the motorway.
• If you are travelling along a minor road in the late evening  or early morning, come off and land in a ditch, you are more likely to die of your injuries simply because no one will find you till there is more traffic about!
• If you fall asleep at the wheel and kill someone you can now face around 14 years in prison for what is effectively manslaughter.
• Last but not least – secure things in the boot of your car and keep those rear passenger seat belts belted up even if no one is using them. Items in the boot can become missiles, break through and cause you serious injury or death.

So here’s hoping I can stay out of trouble – and now that the clocks have gone back, that half awake numpty car drivers can think about something more than rushing home for a can of Stella and avoid endangering me and my biker mates! (mini rant over!!)

Ride safe