Editorial: Punish selfish drivers

We all have those little things that annoy us more than they should.

One of mine is the selfish or impatient driver.

Every time I hit the road I encounter this driver, in his or her various forms.

Usually it's the person who pulls out in front of you because they can't be bothered waiting until you've passed. Or it's the driver at the roundabout who makes you slam on the brakes because giving way is so passe.

Every town has its share of bad drivers, but you have to wonder why, in a small city like Rotorua, people are so impatient on the roads.

No matter how bad the traffic, you're still going to get to your destination in good time. At least it's not Auckland.

I'm not the best driver in the world, probably, but like 90 per cent of all motorists I reckon I'd be in the top half.

And I hate watching people risk the lives of other motorists because they have an itchy foot on the pedal.

Yesterday we reported police support for red light cameras in Rotorua.

Too many motorists in this city think it is their right to shoot through at the tail end of traffic on a red, not giving a stuff about anyone coming across the other way. Hopefully a little pain in the wallet will put paid to that.

Some might dismiss the cameras as a revenue-gathering tool but there's little defence for running a red, so you can't really complain.

And if, after paying for the cameras, all that fines money could somehow go back into local coffers, it certainly would be a good earner, given the amount of red-light running I've seen around town.