J58517 Speeding...

I like the 30 miles an hour little stickers on long vehicles and the like, even if they don't always do any good. Today, a case in point, I came into work along Victoria Avenue - tailgated by a black car who wanted to overtake at 50 miles per hour - and in the outer lane, because I was overtaking a very long vehicle in the inner lane, travelling at 30 with a 30 sticker on his vehicle.

The next set of lights I came across another long vehicle, and this time, despite being set to overtake it, it was going at 40 miles per hour - despite the sticker on its back saying 30. In the end, towards the end of the Avenue, I had to fall back to move in to the lane behind it. My tailgating friend adopted the alternate strategy of zooming past at 50 miles per hour.

Fortunately, at the lights, we were stopped, and I could note down the long vehicle number for posterity, and internet fame: J58517.

No one seems to police the avenue for speeding, or this kind of thing early in the morning. Can't they do occasional spot checks?

30 is not a joke, it is assigned because of the risk of large vehicles overturning. I remember once around 4.30 pm, an enormous rush hour tail back by Bel Royal, where a long vehicle had jackknifed across the road, and smashed into the garage showroom window. Fortunately no one was hurt, but it is a reminder of why such stickers are placed on certain vehicles, not as a joke, but as a ready reminder of the dangers inherent in high speeds. Speed can kill, or as Jeremy Clarkson noted, stopping unexpectedly can kill.

Perhaps they should - as with smoking - have a more representational picture - a 30 with a skull and cross bones inside!