Cars are wonderful things

Modern ones have powerful brakes and super-efficient engines that can slow to a crawl and then accelerate away smoothly without breaking into a sweat.

So, how come so many motorists don’t like using these features? I’ve just finished a cycling holiday in the Highlands of Scotland and have been using minor country roads, with three young kids in tow.

In fact, they go to the front of me, with my wife out ahead.

Most of the time there have been few cars around, but when one is sighted, you know trouble is brewing (triple that if it’s a truck). Despite being on singletrack roads, motorists just don’t like slowing down, even when they see squishy fellow humans ahead.

Mind you, I’ve noticed they slow down when they encounter objects equal in size or bigger than them. Strange that.
Exactly how much time - or fuel economy - would they lose if they slowed down when passing vulnerable road users? What kind of moronic motor-centric society do we live in when it doesn’t even cross some people’s minds that speeding in proximity to tiny children on bikes is a bastard thing to do?

I’d love to conduct spot interviews with these folks (obviously, flagging them down with sirens and flashing blue lights first) and ask them what they were thinking.

I guess most will be perfectly decent people but the operative word is the last one: they will be guilty of not thinking. That’s the problem. Cars can go fast, so fast they must go.