Routine too routine?

Yet another day at the driving circuit.

With the morning sun beating down my back, and me sweating profusely inside the helmet, I was supposed to finish 5 rounds of the circuit to clock up mileage for my circuit test on Monday. The driving itself was not too bad, it was the waiting which really killed me.

Imagine sweat beads dripping from your chin onto the petrol tank of the bike, while you are forced to wait at the stop line for a jeep, which had the right of way, travelling at less than 5 km/hr to finish its crossing. One might think they are better off walking!

So there I was waiting under the sun, with the eager engine radiating heat onto my calves, and a long queue of course mates on their bikes behind me (some sounding their horns impatiently), when I suddenly decided to do something about it. While the jeep was still some distance away, I decided to cut into the path and carry on my journey.

Bad call. The instructor immediately pulled me over for a lecture session... It turned out that I was supposed to simulate that the jeep was travelling at 50 km/hr (the legal speed limit for jeeps here), and wait for it to get out of the way before moving again.

Not one to argue (I prefer action...), after the lecture, I sped up to 45 km/hr in record time, and was satisfied by the look of envy on the other jeep driver's faces... Oh, and it is legal (even though it is plain annoying) by the way, in case you were wondering.

Sometimes I find myself acting strangely. When routine sets in, I will try and do funny things to amuse myself, and maybe the people around me (maybe bend the rules a little, just for the kick of it). What I did this time was to annoy others behind me by puttering along at 10 km/hr in front of a jeep (which couldn't overtake me, as we were nearing a bend, and you can't overtake at a bend). I had a great time pretending to be a "newbie" rider, before shocking the jeep driver and his instructor by zooming off at 35 km/hr after the bend!

However, I realised that there has to be a limit to this kind of horseplay. A few days ago, I forgot that I was driving a lethal vehicle (I never did give way when I was on my bicycle), and was supposed to give way to pedestrians at a zebra crossing, and puttered past at 10 km/hr (it was after a bend) to the shock of some jeep instructors who happened to be crossing at that time. That was when I realised the huge responsibility which comes with being on the road. I cannot afford to be negligient, or I might get myself and others hurt. A balance has to be achieved between pranking other road users, and being safe. Not giving way when one should is one of the most dangerous things which can ever happen. Vehicles end up inside each other because "I thought you were going to stop". You thought, I think, who confirm?

It is best that we obey the rules when it comes to safety. I am sure that nobody wants to end up in cold storage in the hospital...