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May 29, 2006

Forwarded emails

I’m not usually a fan of forwarded emails (or their even more irritating progeny the forwarded text message). If they are supposed to be funny, they rarely actually are, or even worse are those that are supposed to contain some brand new life changing affirmation that the sender just has to share with her entire address book, when really what they contain is a cliched empty platitude. (You can do anything if you put your mind to it! Kids are full of such wisdom, especially if they are sick or disabled or something! Smile! There’s always someone worse off than you! Need I continue?) Then to top it off they usually close with the assertion that the reader’s wishes will only come true if she passes this drivel on to at least ten people, which in my opinion is just the same as the insistence that bad luck will pour on the person who ignores the email......

Phew! Now I’ve got that out my system, I would like to add that I actually detest bad drivers, blind displays of patriotism and football more than the forwarded email, so I did actually chuckle when the following appeared in my inbox yesterday.

Details of the new driving initiative that has just come into operation.

DEPT OF TRANSPORT INITIATIVE - MAY 2006.

Information Release.

There is concern over the current driving standards in England, so the
Department of Transport have devised a scheme to identify poor and dangerous
drivers. This system will allow all road users to recognise the potentially
hazardous and dangerous ones, or those with limited driving skills.

From the middle of May 2006 all those drivers who are found to be a
potential hazard to all other road users will be issued with a white flag,
bearing a red cross. This flag clearly indicates their inability to drive
properly. These flags must be clipped to a door of the car and be visible to
all other drivers and pedestrians.

Those drivers who have shown particularly poor driving skills will have to
display two flags: One on each side of the car to indicate an even greater
lack of skill and limited driving intelligence. Please circulate this to as
many other motorists as you can, in order that drivers and pedestrians will
be aware of the meaning of these flags.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Department of Transport.

Posted by purple elephant at May 29, 2006 09:15 AM