I see a backlash is starting to build against those fluttering St Georges that adorn so many cars at the moment. I’m not sure why this rash of flags is occurring just at the moment; it must be the heat or something…
Anyway, the complaint isn’t that they are racist, which is the usual gripe. Oh no, it’s far more pragmatic than that:
But this time round car flags have been branded dangerous to motorcyclists and horses and claims have been made they will increase fuel usage.
And there’s those chain emails doing the rounds about them being used to identify the driver’s skills or lack thereof:
Maybe worst of all their owners have become the butt of jokes, with one common line being that the flags are fitted to cars to identify substandard drivers.
I wouldn’t like to comment about the increased fuel usage (although it would be likely). I do however, want to comment on the other matter. During the last international football tournament I was riding south on the M5 when one of these flags was liberated from the car to which it was attached and travelling at around 70mph, I was nearly struck in the head by it. I was less than impressed. So, yes, they are a potential danger to motorcyclists if they come loose. I presume that providing the window remains firmly up, that they are secure enough. I don’t know how well the plastic holds up to repeated exposure to the elements and how soon they would fail. As the RAC point out:
The RAC Foundation pointed out any driver whose flag falls from their car could face prosecution under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Act 1986, which demands “vehicles, parts or accessories shall be such that they are not likely to cause danger to other road users”.
So, if you can overcome the ragging about bad driving that’s currently doing the rounds of the Internet, and you really want these things on your car, despite them being somewhat tacky, go for it, but please make sure they are properly fixed and won’t come off mid-flight.