Four Points

Last week I got a ticket for changing lanes over a double white line.

I realised that I am in the wrong, yet remain deeply unhappy. My intentions were not reckless; the actual action itself did not remotely create any risk or danger to myself or other road users. Of all the motorists who break one rule or another on a daily basis, why must the traffic cop pick on me?

The rules are there to impose a sort of order on the public roads, and the traffic cops are there to impose those rules. The rules were undoubtedly concieved with a great emphasis on safety, but often at the cost of flexibility and efficiency. Speed limits of 90 km/h on major expressways are in place, irregardless of whether it is during rush hour traffic, or when I am the only soul trying to get home in the wee hours of the morning.

However, the limitations of the cops means that they are only able to catch and punish a fraction of the infractions which occur. Therefore there is quite a lot of room for the average road user to exercise discretion in his own behavior, and needless to say many of them do take generous liberties with the law. The classic example is the sight of the insane taxi driver weaving his way through traffic in order to pick up a fare.

In particular, it is generally safer for one to follow the speed of the flow of traffic around you, even when it is above the speed limit. Going at 90 km/h when everyone else is going at 100 km/h will only invite people to tailgate and overtake you, especially if you are a riding a small motorbike like I am. Following the law will actually increase your own personal risk in this scenario.

In the early days of getting my license I was indeed quite crazy and prone to throwing caution to the wind when riding my beloved bike. As luck would have it, I was never caught for any of my indiscretions, neither was I punished with any serious accidents. The few relatively minor accidents I had, as well as a number of potentially life threatening close shaves I had escaped with, made me a more restrained and cautious rider. This does not always equate to me going slower on average, but I do believe that my technique is reasonably safe.

In the end, it boils down to this. The world we live in is an imperfect place, and thus life is never fair. I can be the most reckless driver ever, and may never get into an accident. Likewise I can be the safest driver in the world, and still run the risk of getting killed in some freak accident. In the end, we have to decide which driver we want to be, and be willing to bear whatever risks it entails.