More driving dangers they don't warn you about in your test

[TimD]

A few years ago, a Volvo driver misjudged his approach to a set of traffic lights, and tagged the car in front. After waiting a moment for the inevitable irate driver to come out of the other car to remonstrate, our man became concerned by the lack of movement inside.

He got out, and went to his victim's car to investigate. He was horrified to see the other driver, blood pouring down his face. He opened the door, anxious to offer assistance.

"My God, I'm so sorry. I never imagined I hit you so hard. What happened, head hit the windscreen?"

"No", came the muffled reply. "I was picking my doze."

Why recount this tale? Because yesterday on the M6 motorway north of Birmingham, I was damn near taken off the road by a speeding nose-picker. I saw the car, a silver late-model BMW 320i, coming up behind, the driver clearly visible in my mirror, agitating nasal debris.

He jinked to the right to pass me, without indicators, but then what do you expect from a late BMW? But then he got it wrong. He overcorrected, touched the soft shoulder on the central reservation, and weaved back into my lane. Only at this point, as I was braking and dodging, did he finally "remove the digit".

You hear dire warnings about using a mobile phone in the car, don't you? But when was the last time RoSPA demanded action against itinerant nosepickers?

I think we ought to lobby for the police to throw the book at them. Better still, why not organise a special squad to get these people off the road? They could be called the Bogey Men.