Rules of the Road
The simple fact of the matter is that Iris loves life. Maybe she’s forgotten that. Sometimes that happens, doesn’t it? To the best of us?All I have to do is remind her of that one simple fact.‘A superb writer’ Irish ExaminerWhen Iris Armstrong goes missing, her best friend Terry, wife, mother and all-round worrier, is convinced something bad has happened.And when she finds her glamorous, feisty friend, she’s right: Iris is setting out on a journey that she plans to make her last.The only way for Terry to stop Iris is to join her, on a road trip that will take her, Iris and Terry’s confused father Eugene onto a ferry, across the Irish sea and into an adventure that will change all of their lives.Somehow what should be the worst six days of Terry’s life turn into the best.
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Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
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London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019
Copyright © Ciara Geraghty 2019
Cover design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019
Cover illustration © Andrew Davidson/The Artworks
Chapter-heading lines taken from Rules of the Road RSA Rule Book © March 2015
Reprinted by permission of the Road Safety Authority
Ciara Geraghty asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780008320676
Ebook Edition © May 2019 ISBN: 9780008320683
Version: 2019-04-01
Contents
Chapter 1: Signal your intent.
Chapter 2: You must always be aware of your speed and judge the appropriate speed for your vehicle.
Chapter 3: Don’t move from one traffic lane to another without good reason.
Chapter 5: You must not park in any way which interferes with the normal flow of traffic.
Chapter 6: If you are approaching a junction with a major road, you must yield.
Chapter 7: Before you start your journey, you should plan where you will stop to rest.
Chapter 8: Make sure your vehicle is roadworthy.
Chapter 9: Expect the unexpected.
Chapter 10: Be particularly careful of features that may hinder your view of the road ahead.
Chapter 11: Always check your blind spot.
Chapter 12: You should check your mirrors regularly to observe what is going on behind your vehicle.
Chapter 13: Never drive if you are fighting sleep.
Chapter 14: Detours should be clearly marked to aid the flow of traffic.
Chapter 15: If you are towing another vehicle, make sure the tow bar is strong enough.
Chapter 16: Before you start to manoeuvre, you must exercise due care and attention.
Chapter 17: Even with the best headlights, you can see less at night than during the day.
Chapter 19: Tired drivers are a major road safety risk.
Chapter 20: If you approach a Stop sign, you must stop completely.
Chapter 21: You should always take the prevailing road conditions into account.
Chapter 22: Drivers are expected to have the ability to foresee and react to hazards.
Chapter 24: When approaching a toll, reduce your speed appropriately.
Chapter 26: If another driver is attempting to provoke you, don’t react.
Chapter 29: On the motorway, you must only drive ahead. No turning or reversing is permitted.
Chapter 30: Signal your intention to change course and pull in.
Chapter 31: Motor vehicles must be tested for their roadworthiness.
Chapter 32: Be alert in case the overtaking vehicle suddenly pulls back in front of you.
Chapter 33: Diverging traffic ahead.
Iris Armstrong is missing.
That is to say, she is not where she is supposed to be.
I am trying not to worry. After all, Iris is a grown woman and can take care of herself better than most.
It’s true to say that I am a worrier. Ask my girls. Ask my husband. They’ll tell you that I’d worry if I had nothing to worry about. Which is, of course, an exaggeration, although I suppose it’s true to say that, if I had nothing to worry about, I might feel that I had overlooked something.
Iris is the type of woman who tells you what she intends to do and then goes ahead and does it. Today is her birthday. Her fifty-eighth.
‘People see birthdays as an opportunity to tell women they look great for their age,’ Iris says when I suggested that we celebrate it.
It’s true that Iris looks great for her age. I don’t say that. Instead, I say, ‘We should celebrate nonetheless.’
