The RAC Rally

Sir,
I had the greatest of pleasure in watching the RAC Rally pass along the A6 late on Monday afternoon. It is not often that we have the opportunity to see top-class cars and drivers in this area, and so the RAC Rally is one of the highlights on the calendar.

All the drivers without exception drove with caution and only overtook other cars when safe. These drivers are on show as the ambassadors of the roads and safe driving by them influences the people who watch the RAC Rally.

However, the occasion was marred by the conduct of one of the local policemen who demonstrated to all who were watching how not to behave on the roads. He was travelling north towards Kendal in a white Mini van, from the direction of Milnthorpe, at a speed of 50-55 m.p.h. There were three cars in front of him and he attempted to overtake approaching a right-hand bend and a solid white line against the northbound carriageway. The officer passed the first car just before the bend but was forced to cut in front of this car so as not to traverse the solid white line. Unfortunately for the officer his mini van traversed the solid white line and he caused the car behind him to reduce speed in order to avert a collision.

Fair enough, a clear piece of bad driving, but the hypocrisy of the matter is that the same officer is a member of the local police force who not only threatened to but did stop rally drivers for speeding and dangerous driving in Milnthorpe last year.

Now I will be fair, the policeman concerned may have been forced to break the law in the line of duty. He had, however, neither lights nor siren in operation and he returned in the opposite direction about 15 minutes later at a speed of approximately 40 m.p.h.

Judging by your correspondence I think this is typical of the hypocrisy of the police force as a whole so far as motoring is concerned. Otherwise the police do an extremely difficult job with tact and courtesy. [Hear, hear!—Ed.]

Howard Gilbert.
Heversham.