Driving Mad: Maniacs, Morons and the Advanced Motorist's Club by Graham Fulbright

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Driving Mad: Maniacs, Morons and the Advanced Motorist's Club by Graham Fulbright

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Category: Humour
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Reviewed by Sue Magee
Summary: A collection of humour about what motorists could or do get up to behind the wheel. Some of it is all too believable so we advise that you shouldn't read this whilst driving.
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 104 Date: February 2014
Publisher: Troubador Publishing
ISBN: 978-1783062584

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I passed my driving test when John F Kennedy was in the White House and I've recently had to reapply for my driving licence having achieved a venerable age. When I started driving the roads were kinder, more forgiving places - or put another way, the idiots were fewer and further between. I don't know how long Graham Fulbright has been driving, but he certainly knows his motoring morons and in Driving Mad he brings us a fictional sample of their eccentricities. Well, I'm pretty certain that they're fictional - but these days you never know...

Section one deals with the way in which you become an advanced motorist. Please don't confuse advanced motorists with those who are members of the Institute of Advanced Motorists: advanced motorists are road users who have perfected their motoring skills to their own advantage - and bugger anyone else who might be in the way. Basically, the type of driver that could leave you needing the services of a quality motorcycle accident attorney. This isn't a charity, for heaven's sake. You'll need hands-on experience, such as the tougher end of motor racing, possibly with an injury or two thrown in and will need to know how to cope with emergencies. This doesn't mean that you'll actually do anything helpful, but if you come across an overturned car with driver and passengers inside it's useful to know that they're taking a yoga break. There's even a list of preferred accessories, including combat extras. I'm tempted by the Ben Hur knives on the wheels.

There's advice on problem-solving skills, in which your eBay police siren comes in handy - along with your personal taser. We're quickly into a list of hallmarks which will demonstrate your status - the pit-stop start when leaving motorway service stations and the custom-made keys guaranteed to unlock wheel clamps are just a couple to get you started. There's even some suggested reading material should you wish to study further: I'm particularly keen on tracking down copies of Thus Spake Sarah Thruster by Neatcha and A Short History of Spaghetti Junctions by Sergio Longleat.

There's a lot of other light relief too - Hollywood connections, cult movies, appropriate music, inappropriate quotes and loads of colour pictures to amuse - or confuse - you. You're getting the picture, I think. This is an ingenious collection of the failings and fantasies of those people we'd prefer not to meet on the road. They're funny - the humour is occasionally laddish but it's never offensive and I was put in mind of more than one motorist of my acquaintance (or was it my nightmares?) It would have been good to have had just a little more narrative linking the various parts - I really wanted to know what Graham Fulbright was thinking. OK - perhaps I didn't.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag. There were times when I couldn't drive for giggling.

If this book appeals then you might also enjoy Braver Than Britain, Occasionally by Spadge Whittaker and Very British Problems Abroad by Rob Temple.

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Buy Driving Mad: Maniacs, Morons and the Advanced Motorist's Club by Graham Fulbright at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy Driving Mad: Maniacs, Morons and the Advanced Motorist's Club by Graham Fulbright at Amazon.com.

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