Book Review by Maggie Woods | The Sally Traffic Handbook

The Sally Traffic Handbook

MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TUNE IN to the country's leading traffic and travel reports from Sally Boazman. Known throughout the UK as 'Sally Traffic', she is the voice of the traffic news on Radio 2 — the UK's most popular radio station.

Her informative and witty bulletins brighten up the days of drivers. Truckers, in particular, have taken Sally into their hearts and she even has an Eddie Stobart lorry named after her! Sally is the friend with whom to share the joys and frustrations of the UK's busy highways; she is the 'companion of the road' for the lone driver and she is the woman who changed the face of traffic news. In his foreword to Sally's book, veteran broadcaster Steve Wright says: "…she's not your average traffic reporter, but someone who has clearly become a national treasure."

The Sally Traffic Handbook is a neat little treasure, too. With "facts, fun and frolics" (you rather get the impression she enjoys the frolics!) that you can dip into for a smattering of wit and wisdom, her first book can only increase her number of fans and was written, she says, because she wanted to look at the fun side of driving and to show how you can get more out of your mileage. Sally shares her thoughts on speed cameras and road safety along with her driving tips, anecdotes and her life at Radio 2. Interesting chapters include A Brief History of Cars and Trucks.

Discover all the famous people who know Sally and her obsession with James Taylor. Sally has worked with — among others — Des Lynam, Steve Wright, Johnnie Walker, Ken Bruce and Chris Evans. Who could not fail to be charmed by her? Radio 2 listeners will delight in all the facts and advice in Sally's book, from guidance on the best roads and stopping places to quirky stories of rubber-neckers, lane-huggers and real-life stories from Radio 2 listeners.

Sally's advice is always practical: When stuck in traffic you should sing along to the radio or a CD. You should always keep things in your glovebox for these occasions! The songs she loves to drive to include King Of The Road (Roger Miller) and Lost Highway (Hank Williams); and her classical music playlist for the road has Elgar's Pomp and Circum-stance alongside Spring from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi. Way to go, Sally!

Tips for times to avoid travelling include any time in August and she advises truckers to know the height and width of their vehicles before they venture into country lanes.

The Sally Traffic Handbook is thoroughly entertaining and you'll find her favourite driving jokes, including: "What do you do if you see a space-man?" Answer: "Park your car in it, Man!" And she just loves those embarrassing place names like, for instance, Thong. Sally's favourite bumper slogans include: "My other car is also rubbish". The jokes and general motoring knowledge are in little bite-sized boxes some with brilliant black-and-white drawings.

Did you know that Boris Karloff and Sean Connery were truck drivers — like Elvis — before they were famous? And did you know who the first lady trucker on record was? According to Sally, she was an American called Lillie Elizabeth Drennan. Born in 1897, she and her husband started a trucking business in 1928 and the following year she got her truck driving licence.

An ideal Christmas stocking filler for all motoring enthusiasts, there are 16 pages of photographs of Sally in colour and black-and-white, including one of her with Paul McCartney on the Johnnie Walker Show.

Sally wraps up her book with the chapter "And Finally…" This chapter begins with the words from her favourite Joni Mitchell song "I am a prisoner of the white lines and the freeway…"

• The Sally Traffic Handbook: Facts, fun and frolics from BBC Radio 2's Sally Boazman is out now and is available from all good bookshops at an RRP of £9.99 (ISBN: 978 84425 4613).

Check it out at www.haynes.co.uk/sallytraffic.

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