Expert opinion: The perils of the daily commute

Each month John Davies, senior corporate partner at leading commercial law firm Thrings, casts an honest, humorous and at times, irreverent eye over a topical news or business-related issue. This month: the daily commute.

Is it me? Am I the odd one out? Am I the only one who’s constantly frustrated by the automotive assault course that is the British motorway? Every day I find myself wanting to scream “STOP!” (or sometimes something slightly bluer).

STOP! Rubbernecking voyeurs. What exciting titbits are you actually looking for? Why do you have an overwhelming urge to slow down to 23 mph on the motorway to look at someone who has broken down, is changing a tyre, or is perhaps desperate for some emergency bladder relief? Drive on, can’t you see we’re all behind you?

STOP! Exit fools. You’re going to get smashed one day. What makes you think you can read the minds of all those motorists around you and assume they’ll be able stop or swerve to accommodate your ill-advised, last-second dive onto the junction exit? Is your meeting to discuss new paint in your reception really that urgent?

STOP! Bumper jumpers. Is the back end of my Subaru really that attractive? Can’t you see there are 40 other cars in front of me? I can’t go any quicker and, if you pass me, neither can you. I now have to resist the urge to squirt my windscreen washer at you (which I’m viewing as some sort of feeble retaliation towards you disrespecting my tarmac space).

STOP! Van man with no respect for the road. HGV driver with no thought about the car in the middle lane you almost crushed. Lane jumper. Full beamer. Non-indicator. Fog lighter. Phone user. Middle lane driver. Lane closed for road works with no one working. Sign saying 50mph when I’m stuck doing 0mph. Person who programs the LED road sign to tell me to be careful while driving, and in doing so causes me to take my eyes off the road. Undertakers (no, not those ones), drivers weaving through non-existent gaps. Just STOP!

OK, so I’ve re-read my little rant. Perhaps it is me.

Since leaving Wales to set up home in Swindon in 1997, John Davies has become a leading figure in the South West business community. He lists advising Wiltshire-based Watson Petroleum on its sale to World Fuel in 2014, being named Client Partner of the Year by The Lawyer and sitting next to Max Boyce at a funeral among his greatest achievements.