I HAVE recently taken a career change which has enabled me to avoid 30,000 miles a year on the roads, thereby avoiding the awful standard of driving out there and get out and about on foot on our roads, every day for five weeks.
For that five weeks I have most days walked for 45 minutes in both morning and evening rush hours.
It is easy to see why the UK now ranks second of 28 European countries for road rage, accidents and general bad driving techniques. 
Every day without fail, the majority of cars fail to indicate when manoeuvring, as is required by the Highway Code. 
The majority of drivers speed and, if my eyes don’t deceive me, the category most speeders fall into would surprise a lot of people, which combined with the lack of signalling, puts us pedestrians’ lives at risk when trying to cross roads. 
Drivers have no patience and rarely allow other users to join traffic, or pedestrians to cross when, in truth, during rush hour, it would cost seconds in journey time. 
Only today I saw a young mum with a buggy and two very young children, trying to cross on a pedestrian refuge, only to have to run with all three children to get across.
Of course worst of all is the number of drivers who still use mobile phones while committing all the above other offences. 
Why is this possible? Simple. No one is ever there to stop them. In five weeks, I have never seen a police officer, either on foot or on the road during the rush hour.
I wonder what ‘spin’ our PCC will put on this? Will he comment? When did he last stand by a roundabout or school crossing and see for himself?
Mark Griffiths 
Vinescroft 
Staverton 
Trowbridge