I suspect I am not alone because in conversation with a couple of people I heard comments like “rude, pushy, yep I had this guy flashing his lights and tooting his horn”.

And while that may all great for a bit of bar room chat and some raised eyebrows, when driver impatience turns into physical aggression, it is another matter entirely.

Who cannot feel for the 79-year-old Tura Beach driver who was callously and viciously punched by someone high on anger or maybe even drugs.

While we all hear of such events in the cities, that is where we tend to think they will stay, not in our own piece of paradise.

Many of us, I am sure, at one time or another, have driven behind someone travelling slower than we would have wished. Anxious to get to an appointment, the beach or whatever, we may have muttered about slow drivers.

That is where it stops because the vast majority of us realise that the speed limit is just that – it’s a limit – it is not a minimum speed you are required to travel, but the legal maximum.

Should another driver want to drive 10km/hr under the maximum limit, they are entitled to do so.

There is no excuse for what took place on Sapphire Coast Drive on Sunday, January 21.

I can only begin to imagine the shock, the pain – both mental and physical – at such an attack.

The Tura Beach man has said a week on, his shoulder is still sore and he is still shaken.

It’s also been a cause of great concern for the man’s son who does not live close but was extremely worried when his father told him what had happened.

In the meantime police say investigations are still continuing and that’s where we can help.

Were you travelling along Sapphire Coast Drive that afternoon or do you know someone who was?

I would urge anyone with any information about the incident, any related incident or anyone who thinks they may know the vehicle or person involved, to contact the police. 

Contact them either at Merimbula station on 6495 1366 or via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.