Green is permissable

Travelling along the motorways of Europe you see many things. Mostly its the back of some other cars whilst in the sticky jams and long queues or the sudden flash of colour as they waltz across all the lanes like Goldilocks looking for one that's 'just right' for them. This is normal, but today I came across a left hand drive (LHD) motorcycle, which was very unusual. Partly because I could tell without doubt that it was a LHD motorcycle, even as it sped past at +100KPH.

Stop lights or traffic lights are fascinating things. We all know that Red is definitely stop, if you are not too busy or distracted that is. Then you have Amber, which will get you ready to go or stop, depending on whether you're coming or going and if in doubt, just go for it!

Green is the one everyone likes, if its on their side. Its very much empowered to allow you to proceed on your way but I am not sure. Is it really compulsory or mandatory to do so or is it possible to take some time out for yourself, to finish off what you are doing, before trundling off again.

I mean sometimes you are not in such a big rush and you have other priorities. You need to re-programme your GPS, re-load your CD player, dial a friend, finish adjusting your make-up, cleansing your nose with your finger, make sure your hair is sitting up in a fashionably startled way (I see more men than women doing this), chastise the children or share a jolly song with them before moving off. There is a lot to consider.

The authorities tell us not to do these things while driving because its a distraction and could be dangerous. I bet sometimes you find yourself hoping that the lights will turn to Red before you get there because you have something you really, really need to do now. Like stopping your coffee mug from sliding off the dashboard. I have to stress that drinking coffee whilst driving is a very dangerous thing to do. I once shorted out a perfectly good Blaupunkt radio/cassette doing that. Not to mention the cleaning bill. So be advised.

I can see that lingering on a Green light may be inconvenient to other drivers, especially if there were only one lane but on the dual carriageways and 2 lane roads, its not going to be such a big problem. After all, the authorities make sure all drivers are qualified to handle the vehicle in all conditions and all cars are made roadworthy and insured before they can use the roads. So, between the driver and the cars, they can brake, steer and take avoiding action, if required.

What's the problem.