大象传媒

i'm a motorist.
i know that i damage the environment.
i also know that i should pay for what i'm doing.
just like speeding if you get caught you pay the fine and don't moan.
if you are contributing more to global warming then you should pay for it.
i'm fed up hearing other motorists whinge - get real and take some bloody responsibility for what we do!

I'm an angry motorist. Because despite owning and driving a car, I've got the presence of mind to be very upset that people drive too fast and put me and my family at risk - whether we are in our car or out walking or cycling.

I'm even more fed up with drivers who think they have a god-given right to break speed laws, and that any effort put into preventing them is somehow state interference.

Can we look forward to the "are you an angry burglar" report next week - complete with burglars who think the police are putting too much time into stopping them breaking the law, and catching them when they do?

The motorist is just an easy target for revenue collection. Its not really about safety, but its an alternative to the 'window tax' of Georgian times - there are lots of them.

If safety was the issue then it should be approached differently. It should not be 'everyones right' to drive. The driving test is a joke. We would not trust airline pilots if they did not have to continually qualify.
The test should be every 3 years and stringent - we should pay for this and be trained along the process.
If speed is the issue then its possible to use technology to govern speed - in Australia coaches are governed to 80km per hour max (I think). We could have remptely controlled speed limits in certain critical areas.
Policing should be on PREVENTION Before not Punishment after an event.

I feel that the police are not concerned about solving the difficult crimes. They just seem to go for the easy options and motorists are an easier option than most.

I mean, chasing a young vandal on foot around an housing estate is a lot more difficult than stopping a driver for a minor offence isn't it?

No, drivers are not under legislative attack, these are rules that should have been implemented years ago to keep the idiots who speed, drive without insurance, park anywhere they see fit and generally act like mobile yobs under control. It's a joy to drive on some roads that now have speed cameras, a safe speed is all we ask!

Last year I was caught doing 36 miles an hour in a 30mph zone on a quiet road just outside Thame in Oxfordshire. It was my first alleged offence in more than 20 years of driving. Fortunately, I was given the chance to attend a drivers awareness workshop in lieu of a fine and penalty points. The course cost me over 拢70. When I arrived on the course - run by a private company for Thames Valley Police - I was shocked to find that there were, to put it politely, a considerable number of mature ladies (I hesitate to say 'little old ladies'). It struck me that most of the drivers targetted were not the petrol-headed irresponsible motorist thugs that I had always assumed speed cameras are aimed at. The course was professsionally and politely run but it got me thinking; how much money do the police and private companies make out of these schemes and are they aimed at the right type of road user?

The average motorist is taxed to oblivion!

Fines and penalties are another form of taxation. They are not proportionate to the offence.

There are a lot of very angry people out there.

One can never condone violence but the Government certainly isn't listening. The public is being ignored.

I hate the fact that I'm under huge pressure whenever I want to drop someone off at, say, a tube station.

Even if there is no other car in sight, I dare not drop off my passenger by the kerb in case the all-seeing-eye-in-the-sky issues me yet another monster sized minimum of 拢50 fine. It is so stressful.

I have 3 times received fines in this way. Now I make people get out of the car at traffic lights.

I wouldn't mind if I had been genuinely causing an obstruction or holding up the traffic in any way. Had a traffic warden seen me dropping someone off they would not have issued me with a parking ticket, but now that there are cameras everywhere the pressure of contravening any no stopping laws for even a second are horrible.

I know someone that received a fine because they pulled into a bus lane to allow a police car with its siren on to go by!

It's just an excuse to make money. There is no common sense or justness behind the majority of fines and penalties.

I don't drive much but I think that motorists are under attack from petrol prices, cameras, planned road tolls, etc.

I believe that police and government treat these as revenue streams not as deterents.

This would be fair enough if that money was used to pay for decent public transport. However rail prices are extortionate and rising, and the service on my line (Brighton - London, Brighton - Crawley) are very poor.

If travelers are left with no option but to take a car because the environmentally friendly alternatives are too expensive (拢26 for a return to London from Brighton, it takes less than an hour!)and totally inconvenient (there are bus replacements every weekend), then there is no incentive to stop traveling by car.

You will not change habits by fining and taxing people, you can if you suggest genuine alternatives. A stinking, expensive, late, over crowded train is not an alternative.

I am an angry motorist.

Congestion Charge:
It's a good idea in principle, but the manner in which it is run is aggressive. If one doesn't pay before 10pm on the day a fine with an admonishing letter goes out. Their website is often crashing when putting card details in. Does one put it in again and risk double / treble paying? There aren't enough retail outlets selling them. Now there is talk of charging motorcyclists. I'm afraid that this is just another example of a charge / tax Not anything to do with congestion.

Parking tickets:
I always pay my tickets without complaint. It's a necessary evil of living in London. But I have had three erroneously issued tickets that were referred and referred to various appeal bodies. The bodies did not make any enquiry as to the background and simply rubber stampoed what the warden had done.

Very annoying and of course we are powerless to do anything about it.

Not a motorist, but someone sent me this petition today...

There are only 15 days left to register your objection to the 'Pay as you go' road tax - which closes to petitions on the 20th February 2007.

The petition is on the 10 Downing St website but they didn't tell anybody about it. Therefore at this time only 671,354 people have signed it so far and 750,000 signatures are required to stop them introducing it.

Once you've given your details (you don't have to give your full address, just house number and postcode will do), they will send you an email with a link in it. Once you click on that link, you'll have signed the petition.

Democracy in action?

The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you
having to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly
bill to use it. The tracking device will cost about 拢200 and in a
recent study by the 大象传媒, the lowest monthly bill was 拢28 for a rural
florist and 拢194 for a delivery driver. A non working mother who used
the car to take the kids to school paid 拢86 in one month.

On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody
will know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit
in time you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution with
your monthly bill.

If you care about our freedom and stopping the constant bashing of the
car driver, please sign the petition on No 10's new website (link
below) and pass this on to as many people as possible."
>

NO, I do not think I am being under any legislative attack. Those drivers who obey the various acts of parliament are not prosecuted. We NEED the Legislation to halt and curb the minority who seem to glorify in their illegal driving and then appear to attack the majority of other good drivers (I hope) as though it is open season and WE the decent driver are just soft in the head! If the Law says you should not do, then don鈥檛. If you do, do not shout out you have been fined 鈥榗os you deserve it. More Prisons - oh alright I was just testing my soap box!

I was angry when I was fined for speeding on my way to a holiday. I had been diverted from a motorway (because of roadworks) onto an unknown A-road with regularly changing speeds along it, including some speed signs completely hidden by overgrown trees. I was angry because I had been doing all that was humanly possible to stick to the alternating speeds and yet fined.

What made me doubly angry was when I enquired about appealling and I was told I would be be able to appeal against getting points on my license, but on the other hand I'd be expected to pay a fine much larger than if I paid without appeal.

As for expressing my frustration. Well, yes, I took the limited opportunities I had to vent my frustration legally to the person on the other end of the phone and by letter (for which I got no reply).

But no, I wouldn't contemplate illegal methods.

Yes, I am angry with the DVLA. The epitomise the maxim, "rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men."

Last year I was late in renewing my tax on a scooter. The reason what the the MOT repairs took longer than expected. I received a letter from the DVLA imposing an 拢80 fine which would be reduced to 拢40 if I paid within 14 days.

There was no way I could find 拢40 in 14 days so I wrote to the DVLA asking if I could pay by instalments. They refused and threatened me with all sorts of dire consequences if I didn't pay. All for the sake of a 拢15.00 tax.

I wrote to my MP an enlisted his help. With his intervention the DVLA agreed to four monthly payments of 拢10.00.

They wonder why people get angry over what was in effect an administrative error. Yet when the situation is reversed it is a different matter. I am still waiting for my Winter Fuel Allowance.

The speed camera situation in North Wales is out of control. Having moved here 6 months ago after living in the South I now have 6 points on my license, I drive no differently from how I did when I lived down south but I feel the North Wales people are being penalised unfairly compared to the rest of Britain. Soon no one will drive over 30 mph for fear of being 'caught out'. I believe that speed and accidents are related so I don't condone speeding, however I don't think this is the motivating factor in N Wales!

It can never be right to letter bomb innocents, but the number of police speed traps and cameras on the roads now is surely getting too much. On a 40 mile journey yesterday I passed 8 cameras and two roadside speed traps. It is so easy to drift a couple of miles over the limit and get caught, with no intention of speeding, and the pressure of constantly watching your speed instead of the road isn't safe. Yes, speed kills, but there has to be a better way of dealing with it than this. Cameras simply encourage people to pulse, dropping their speed for a few metres, then racing away. And they invariably catch the wrong culprits... like my elderly aunt who never goes much above 30 anywhere who got done for doing 32 in a 30 zone. I don't agree with what this letter bomber is doing, but with the immense stresses that many are under at the moment I can understand it.

I guess it's easy to get angry as a motorist but I think we all need to have a long look at ourselves. Congestion, global warming, deaths on the roads - is our journey necessary? The country, indeed the world, needs to reconsider transportation and that means that the driver will pay. If our environment is improved/saved then count me in.

Considering that everyone drives over the speed limit, it's just luck of the draw who gets caught and fined. Hence speeding tickets, especially those issued by Gatsos on clear roads in the middle of the night where no children could conceivably be running around, are simply a tax.

No-one particularly likes to be taxed for an offense that any sane individual would never consider to actually be wrong.

Is anyone sympathetic to the tax machine? No. Do the individuals concerned deserve to be harmed? Definitely no!

There are no avenue's available to protest. What option remains? I'd love to know.

I am angry because of the number of
vehicles being driven around without
Road tax, insurance and/or MOT making the rest of us pay for their
law breaking and in some cases their
causing death by dangerous driving.
Some police forces confiscate and
crush any cars found to be un-taxed or un-insured. Surely this should be the norm.

Dear Sir,
Most law abiding motorists should in return expect fairness and understanding by the regulatory authorities.But there is a creeping officiousness which is increasing alarmingly.The DVLC sells motorists' details to unregulated wheel clampers.The Highway Agency is investigating the additional deployement of speed cameras(Saltash Tunnel) not in the name of road safety but to fill their coffers.There are many other instances which give the impression that the Government and their quangoes view motorists,and air and rail travellers as 2nd class citizens. If the misgivings and concerns of this so-called underclass was addressed perhaps in turn there would be greater understanding from the travelling public.
Let the government initiate a campaign of CO2 reductions firstly by clamping down on their use of electricity by turning off lights in government buildings, asking shops and stores to turn down their heating
which everyone complains is excessive, and generally leading the way in a more frugal and cost-conscious way instead of demonising the weary traveller getting to and from work on a daily basis. Government has also craftily engineered a mindset with the public in which everybody has a so-called 'carbon footprint' that we have somehow to account for, and inevitably to pay for, all the more revenue for the Exchequer. Before we know it, they will be charging us for the air we breath. This carbon footprint nonsense is just another way of raising funds to plug another of the governments 'black holes'.

Following the recent spate of apparently motor-related, despicable letter bomb attacks, the police are reportedly interviewing 13,352,101 suspects.

I was stopped recently on the M1 for "using a mobile whilst driving".

After making me follow him up the hard shoulder for over 1/2 mile, the policeman finally came to say hello.

I told him I was just beginning to think it wasn't me he was after.

He informed me that I was indeed the culprit as I had used my mobile phone.

I explained several things to him:

1) My car is fully wired for handfree use, including number selection using a button on the steering wheel. I therefore said I had no need to hold a phone to use it.

2) My phone battery was flat and he was welcome to check it if he so desired.

3) I had made no calls, had received no calls and that the same applied to text messages - in the last 4 hours! I told him he was welcome to take my phone away and check with the mobile phone company if he wanted to investigate the case.

4) All I had done, I told him, was rest my head against my hand as I drove slowly up the M1 in a roadworks area.

Despite the fact that he cautioned me, he made no notes. So, anything I said was clearly not being taken down as evidence. There was also no 2nd cop with him.

The result? Well, naturally I got a ticket!

I did tell him I would see him in court so he pointedly told me that that would double the fine and give me 3 points.

I said, surely only if convicted. At which point he smiled, and told me to be on my way.

Well I guess it is much easier than dealing with some lippy young lad terrorising old ladies...

It's clear that car owners have fallen into the category of a] tax milch cows and b] targets of trivial political pursuits [cf K. Livingstone's anti 4x4 position]

My own principle complaint is that "parking control" has become almost entirely driven by revenue-gathering. I have twice been involved in a parking ticket dispute that has led to the dismissal of the wardens for fraudulent issuing of tickets and on the last occasion I had reason to contact the Parking Control office of the council involved [RBK&C], I was assured that quotas were no part of the contract terms of enforcement agents, when it has been shown over and over again that quotas are imposed on wardens, leading to either ludicrous, unreasonable or fraudulently issued FPNs. Parking and other car-related offences are the only offences I can think of where guilt is presumed and a penalty imposed summarily

I am angry probably because I am old. I used to enjoy cars and driving but now the roads are so congested it just isn't fun any more. Not only is it not fun but it costs more and more to do.
I am 53 like fast sporty cars but what is the point when my present car dies I won't bother buying another.
I look at people sitting in traffic jams who have spent tens of thousands of pounds on their cars but just what is the point.

Are there any non-angry motorists? What angers me the most is when perfectly ordinary rural stretches of road that have been at the national speed limit for as long as anyone can remember suddenly get downgraded to 40 or 30 for no apparent reason. I have made objections to the county council in the past when I have seen the relevant notices in the local paper but it never does any good.

I do have one good speed camera story. I got flashed by a camera on the A52 in Lincolnshire, the case went to court. I plead not guilty on the grounds that having to state whom was driving the car at the time of the offence was, in effect, self-incrimination. The prosecutor forgot to enter the speeding ticket into evidence and the case was dismissed. I claimed, and was awarded, 600 pounds in expenses.

I am getting fed up with the increasing charges for family motorists.

I have a family of 4 children, and consequently need a 6/7 seat vehicle to fit everyone in, using childseats etc as required by the law. Now I am to be penalised in the form of a massive hike in the congestion charge, and am just gratefull that I don't live in Richmond where the parking charges have just been hiked up.

The co2 emission figure should be calculated on a per seat basis, so that a 4 seat car emitting 160g actually has a worse emission rating than my 6 seater emitting 225g. The worst offenders are actually small high powered 2 seat sports cars where the per seat figure is often over 70g per seat.

7 seat MPV's should be taxed differently to large SUV's.

I have frequently wished I had a James Bond style rocket launcher to take out some of the selfish morons on the road, but would never contemplate action on innocents.This guy's got it all wrong! Machiavellian theory; it's taken the headlines away from Blair's corrupt and incompetent government (not the first time this sort of thing has happened!).

Nearly all of us adults in the UK are motorists and we all get angry behind the wheel occasionally. But I get much more angry when I consider the number of children killed daily on our roads. Most of these are speed related murderous collisions, usually referred to as 'road accidents' but accidental they usually are not.
We are all guilty of exceeding the speed limits from time to time, indeed as a matter of course on motorways. We drivers are cocooned in safety in our crash-tested cars - more so for those in lorry cabs. But we should welcome the presence of speed cameras as a reminder that urban and rural roads are for the joint use of motor vehicles, cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians of all ages. Driving too fast is a criminal act that may lead to the ruin of many people's lives.

Yes....! One can definitely empathise with this person whoever it is!
Motorists are seen as just a cash cow for this current Government. Not suprising someone has now suddenly just flipped. Maybe they might start getting the message!

Hi
I am not a motorist but I am a angry pedestrian.
The truth is that the motorist has had it far too easy for too long.
The law at the moment which allows motorists to drive through city centres and residental areas at a speed that can kill is morally unacceptable and an effrontery to anyone who respects human life.
Children can no longer play, pedestrians can no longer stroll in a relaxed manner and for many older people the roads are a no go area.
How longer is society willing to accept the thousands of deaths and injuries of children and pedestrians simply to accommodate the wishes of the selfish speeding motorist.
There have been laws passed recently to curb the habits of the smoker because society finds it socially unacceptable.The habits of the smoker are minutely socially unacceptable in comparison with the habits of the antisocial selfish motorist.
I will add before I close I am neither a smoker or a motorist as stated above
Regards Brian Booth.
Wolverhampton

It is not surprising that such incidents are starting to occur. The greater part of the law abiding population feel put upon without any reasonable opportunity to express their dissatisfaction - the ballot box is a blunt and useless instrument. We now have speed cameras as money making machines, our council taxes rise while the service is reduced and there is talk of charging for the services that it is intended to cover. We are inundated with rubbish we do not want yet are increasingly penalised for disposing of it. There are increases in passenger duty (estimated to raise 拢1bn pa) in the name of "green issues" yet no strategy or proposal to use the funds for anything other than taxation. The politicians glibly talk about public service and issues but in reality they do nothing but squander the proceeds of ever increasing taxation demands. Direct action, although not to be advocated, will increasingly become the reaction of the long suffering middle income population.

I can't see what all the fuss is about, we don't have any freedoms anyway, they have all been taken away but I'll be damned if I actually remember any member of the politburo telling me it's what they wre going to do, I don't remember voting for this. Still, look on the bright side, in a few years there will be an election and we can vote for someone else, thats if we still have the right to vote, because you never know with this lot.Five and a half million ex pats, I now know why.

Angry? No 鈥� but intensely fed up with the irrational and money-grubbing attitudes of central and local government to cars and everything to do with them.

In real terms, the price of cars has not been heaper for years. Car buying has been actively encouraged by central government through rule changes to company cars. For example, my company used to buy second hand cars for company use and run them for four years. Now, because of emissions tax breaks, it pays us to buy new cars every two years. The older cars are sold off. They are still on the roads but just used by other people. The result is more cars and more emissions, not less.

Road pricing: the government says it wants to encourage participation in democracy 鈥� part of the citizenship agenda 鈥� so it sets up a web sit specifically for petitions to the government. The petition against road pricing has so far attracted more than 700,000 signatures. If that number have bothered to sign, many more are likely to think the same way. The roads minister then says it鈥檚 irrelevant. The government then refuses to guarantee that if road pricing is introduced, that the measure will be tax neutral. We know what that means 鈥� more tax. The government adds that road pricing will be by some from of GPS system (look on the Internet and you鈥檒l find that they鈥檝e actually been saying this for the entire time they鈥檝e been in office, just not very loudly). This will be expensive and will involve logging every journey. Why? It鈥檚 hugely inefficient. Petrol/diesel tax is cheap to collect and acts directly on those using the most fuel 鈥� but it鈥檚 highly visible. The government does not want transparency in tax raising because then we鈥檇 see just how much is being raised. GPS-based systems, on the other hand, are not transparent but do allow the population to be spied on and will create lots more civil service jobs.

Road speed limits seem, in some cases, to be arbitrary. Millions of motorists now have points on their licences for minor speed limit offences. I haven鈥檛 but only by the grace of God. How many of those millions went on to cause accidents? Precious few. Evidence from the majority of speed camera sites shows that their effectiveness is negligible 鈥� the bell curve of accident statistics is exactly the same as for accident black spots that are left alone. Check the stats at the Road Research Laboratory. Only in a minority of camera sites do the accident stats reduce below the average. The camera safety partnerships, meanwhile, continue to pull in vast quantities of revenue and increase the number of jobs for civil servants.

Parking: in my home city of Brighton, local politicians claimed that deregulation of parking would be revenue neutral for years. In fact, the scheme made a profit in eyar 1 and now makes more than 拢5.5 million a year in pure profit for the council and more for NCP. Local traders complain that people are simply staying out of town because parking is so expensive and enforcement so severe. I don鈥檛 doubt it. There are lots of parking spaces available on most days because the cost is so high. Parking attendants wait around corners to catch motorists out. It鈥檚 happened to me 鈥� I鈥檝e been ticketed for being one minute over and three minutes over. I鈥檝e seen the wardens hiding behind bins. The council denies that quotas are demanded of NCP. Technically, this is true but if one looks at the actual contract between the council and NCP 鈥� as I have 鈥� you鈥檒l find that there are 鈥減erformance recommendations鈥�. The same is true of nearly every town that has been deregulated.

So, I鈥檓 not angry but I am tired of being lied to. Motorists are seen as easy revenue-raising targets 鈥� and they are. If central and local government wants to raise tax, do it honestly. Don鈥檛 hide behind lies about road safety or congestion. What鈥檚 happened over the last decade is simply dishonest.

What's wrong with those using the roads more having to pay more? Should the speed limits be ignored? We're told that if you hit a child at 40 miles per hour there is a likelihood of killing it. The problem with trying to keep within speed limits is that the manufacturers of cars make it much more comfortable to keep resting your foot on the accelerator and more effort required to move the foot upwards to decelerate

I object no more to speed cameras than I do to in-store cameras to stop shop-lifting, or street cameras to monitor drink fuelled public disorder. I agree that there are other types of driving behaviour which are as dangerous as breaking the speed limit, but that is a different argument. If you break the law and get caught, tough luck. Slow down, and save yourself 拢60. You may also have saved a life.

Oh boo hoo. Motorists are being made to obey the law, and now they're upset. Who cares? In my view its far too little, far too late.

Not only have we had to endure carnage on the roads for decades, & severe and permanent inconvenience to all road-users except them, but the "right" to drive is helping to create climate change which at the moment looks like it be more than a bit problematic for us in the next 50 years.

We should treat law-breaking motorists as the extremists that they are, and not pander to their wishes. They must learn as we all have, apparently, that terrorism does not work.

If indeed the sender of these devices is an aggrieved motorist, then the Government and the Police have a very serious problem. It must be the case that the vast majority of people will be sickened at the thought of the innocent being targeted for any reason. However, it must also be considered that the level of anger or hatred toward the 'system' has escalated to a point where Public Sector workers are being put at risk by at least one person who is quite clearly aggrieved enough to do something like this. Is the level of tolerance amongst some of the motoring public being pushed to this disgraceful level? With 3 teenage killings in the last 5 days and constant innuendoes about corruption at high levels of Government in the continuing Cash for Honours debate, it does make one wonder if we are not reaching a state of complete anarchy. Successive Tory and Labour Governments must have wondered how much more the hard working Tax Paying Public would take 鈥� maybe it is time they took stock of the situation. With more home repossessions and more bankruptcies likely to be the case this year, will they push it to the limit, until they have rendered half the countries workforce bankrupt. Is this their way of solving the traffic congestion problem in the UK? Make everyone so poor they cannot afford to run a Car? The levels of dismay and anger throughout the workforces of this Country are at a level where we could be closer to Social Revolution than we have been for centuries. Off the subject a little, I know, but people are becoming very emotive about a situation where we, the workers, get peanuts, and they, the Governing bodies, waste billions. Our so called leaders waste our money on things that the average man or woman in the street will tell you they don鈥檛 want, and that are ruining our Society 鈥� Speed Cameras, for example.

What's wrong with those using the roads more having to pay more? Should the speed limits be ignored? We're told that if you hit a child at 40 miles per hour there is a likelihood of killing it. The problem with trying to keep within speed limits is that the manufacturers of cars make it much more comfortable to keep resting your foot on the accelerator and more effort required to move the foot upwards to decelerate

I own 2 cars and a cycle which I use for short journeys and have little patience for motorists who bleat about speed restrictions, speed cameras and parking attendants. My main complaint is about speeding taxis, reckless buses and drivers who can't walk 100 yards to a shop and park on pavements. What is wrong with people? Speeding on motorways or in towns is equally indefensable and the police should adopt draconian methods to stop it.

Am I an angry motorist? Yes! Do I feel like drivers are under legislative attack? Yes! Have I ever been tempted to express my frustration by harming people? No!

The government seems to feel that they can ride roughshod over the motorist with punitive taxes which do not translate into well-kept roads and do not translate into decent public transport alternatives. Instead of encouraging better driving, the government seems determined to reduce all driving issues to a question of speed, with single-issue cameras replacing multi-disciplinary traffic police. The government now wants to spy on our movements via GPS recording as well. There is an awful lot of advantage taken of the British motorist, and it does make me angry when motorists become the scapegoat for every modern calamity as well.

Motorists are justifiably aggrieved, however, I feel that letter-bombing people enforcing such attacks will only reduce sympathy for motorists (if there is any!) As such, I wouldn't be entirely surprised to find these bombs to be the work of some lycra-clad anti-car environ-mentalist.

And am I annoyed by the 大象传媒 supporting the anti-car agenda? Yes!

Parroting the line that speed cameras save lives is lazy journalism. Dragging Captain Gatso into it to try and demonstrate that motorists destroy things with which they do not agree is puerile and irritating. I expected better from Newsnight.

It would seem that organisations dealing with motoring offences are beinbg targeted. Unfortunately the people who make these silly rules don't open envelopes so it is a bit pointless.

I am not contemplating taking the law into my own hands, but I understand the frustration millions of motorists all over the countrey are beginning to feel as we are constantly used by councils to raise money.

Every week, there is more and moire legislation against motorists.

I have had a document from a local group setting out the deal on road pricing. It is going to cost about 拢200 to install the equipment in one's car.

The mileage will be priced according to the volume of traffic on the roads and the time of day. It could cost up to 拢10/15 to do a ten mile journey in and around London. These prices will continue to rise culminating in only the wealthy being able to drive anywhere.

No doubt by then, be teams of armed marksmen will have been trained ready to take out anybody caught driving a vehcle - their bodies being taken to recycling centres.

The latest thing is that TFL are planning to extend the Congestion Charge to Greenwhich and to charge for using the Blackwall Tunnel to prevent unnecessary journeys.

Why would anybody in their right mind use the Blackwall Tunnel unless they had to. I live in North London and If I have to go to Kent or Sussex or some parts of South London, I use it then. It is quicker and lower mileage than driving across South London. Surely that makes it more 'green'.

The Mayor says that the decisiion to include Greenwich in the C-Charge will be made by late spring (whatever that means) and that the scheme will only go ahead if it has the total support of local residents and traders!!!!!!!

They said that about the Wetern Extension and look what happened there. It was opposed by a large majority, there were protest marches and meetings, petitions galore, publicity in the London papers - it still went ahead.

In some places the speed limits are unnecessarily low - the bit of the North Circular between Finchley and Stonebridge Park springs to mind. It is 40 on a road constructed like a motorway with no pedestrians able to cross unless they are incedibly stupid

.About a quart of a mile after Stonebridge Park it i sudeenly becomes 50 , then just before the big roundabout it is 40 again.

There is a short length of bus lane in Tottenham (West Green Road) which if you approach from Boreham Road is almost impossible not to drive into. It has made a record anount of money for Haringey Council in fines - the highest earning cameras in the country it is claimed.

I have friends all over London whom I visit regularly. I don't like using the Tube or buses very much. They are overcrowded and I certainly wouldn't use them at night.

On the Hammersmith roundabout traffic systemt there are some 30 cameras - put there, we are told, to prevent crime. Recent statistics show that they have caught far nore motorists then criminals.

Real criminals get away with just about anything because of lack of police resources to spend time trying to find them.

However, be in a car and drive at maybe 2 m.p.h above the limit - or stay a minute over tine on a meter and you will be found and punished within days.

There is hardly anywhere in London where you can park without money changing hands in some way or other.

Every day on the London traffic news there is a report of slow moving traffic between Highbury Corner and Archway - due to heavy weight of traffic. I can tell you why that is, there is bus lane all the way along there and it is on seven days a week, 24 hours a day - totally unnecesssary to have it all the time.

There isn't a constant sream of buses in them, so it is a pointless exercise. Just another artifically created traffic jam.

Before the C-Charge started it took me 28 minutes to drive from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus one evening because of the way the traffic lights had been set up in the car lane.

Three weeks after the Charge came in I did the same journey at the same time in the early evening rush hour and it took about 12 minutes - not because there were fewer cars, but the lights had been re-set to allow cars through with the same regularity as the buses.

So many traffic jams and snarl-ups are caused by bus lanes. They haven't discouraged us from using our cars but have become cash cows for all the local authorities.

I was in Milan some years ago a couple of weekends before Christmas. On the Sunday the city had beeb declared car free for the day. Italians being Italians practically every car owner in the area had driven in to the city, it was gridlocked.

To their credit, the traffic wardens abnd police weren't acting as if they were rounding up thousands of war criminals, they just took a back seat. I thought it was quite funny.

I speak Italians and read it in Corriere della Sera or one of the Milan newspapers.

I suppose one action we drivers could take is to all try to get to work by public transport on one particular day, the system would go into meltdown.

Sorry this us so long, that's my rant for the day - it seems we are powerless

SHIRLEY TEECE
\

I own 2 cars and a cycle that I use for short journeys and have little sympathy for motorists who bleat about speed cameras. Why is it that motorists consider themselves a race apart? I get fed up with maniac taxi drivers who speed as of right, and bus drivers who throw their machines around without a care for the contents. I drive regularly in Scandinavia and have held numerous foreign licenses. I have as little sympathy for motorists who get caught speeding as for those who park on pavements rather than walk 100 metres. Are motorists a priviledged species? Speeding on motorways and in towns is equally unacceptable yet somehow these laws are only "for lesser mortals".

Drivers are undoubtedly under attack, as the government continues to create policies supposedly aimed at public safety and protecting the environment, when their arguments hold water like a sieve.

My particular gripe of the moment is how buyers of newer cars are offered tax breaks under the pretence of them being better for the environment, whilst continuing measures to curtail the use of older cars are enforced.

Their policies ignore the reality of the situation where a cars production is a huge environmental cost compared to running an existing one. Add that to the fact that newer cars will have a shorter lifespan than older ones due to the specialist tools required to maintain them that simply will not exist in 10 years time, whilst the older cars are still running strong, requiring only universal tools to keep them going - its clear that the government has put no thought into their policies.

I feel like breaking the law everytime I see a motorist using their mobile phone whilst driving, or cyclists who ride through traffic lights that are green for pedestrians - in each case my common-sense just about prevents me from taking sharp implements to the car/bicycle in question. In fact on one occasion I was arrested by police in Chelsea because I stopped in front of a driver who refused to stop talking on the phone. Plain-clothes officers dragged me from my motorbike and the driver went on his way whilst still on his phone.
Another frustration is the state of the roads. I would be quite happy to pay higher taxes if it meant riding around wasn't like negotiating an assault course.
Related to Clare's post, surely it's a breach of the Human Rights Act to impose tracking devices on regular motorists? I could go on, but as Newsnight have never taken any notice of my previous posts then I maight as well just write to myself.

I can drive but haven't been a "motorist" since 1998 and do not miss it all that much. I am only happy driving on long-distance journeys where I have to use a vehicle. That I think is what the car should really be for.

I was however, an "angry pedestrian" this morning when I read about the death of an 82 year old mother of a client who was tragically killed on a pedestrian crossing last Friday.

The whole transport situation needs some serious thought, but unfortunately I do not think we have the politicians with the vision and bravery to stand up to even the most petulant opposition from the "angry motorist".

Angry motorist? Yes.
Under legislative attack? Yes.
Tempted to express frustration? Yes.
Tempted to break the law? Yes.

But the same can be said for a *huge* number of motorists. The laws being passed are all about generating revenue from motorists. Car owners are an easy target.

How far would you have to go to find a driver who can honestly say they have *never* broken a speed limit?

The phrase "Cash cow" comes to mind.

I don't believe that I am an angry motorist but I do believe that this government is using their ineptitude as financial adminstrators to put increased charges for road use into action.
If they used the funds available to better use instead of paying for all sorts of "initiatives" they might be able to lower charges instead of making the motorist pay for their poor fiscal management.
Breaking the law only helps them to penalise the innocent.

As for congestion charging which is aimed at reducing already overcrowded roads and the attendant pollution, fine, what other way is there of limiting vehicle access to over-subscribed routes? I suppose letting it go unchecked until routes are jammed solid is one way.
Regarding the destruction of speed cameras by the egomaniac (psycopath?) Captain Gatso monster raving loony group, well they know best, they feel that the motorist should be free to kill, maim and pollute, its their right , innit?
There are too many vehicles on the cramped roads of the UK and too many imbecile drivers behind their steering wheels--they were probably gullible enough to have been influenced by the TV programme " The Dukes of Hazard" in their youth.

Endangering innocent people can never be right, but I think we have much to be angry with the government about, excessive invasion of our wallets and private lives, not to mention a staggering incompetence at running the basics.
There is definitely a groundswell of deeply felt anger at the politicians of all persuasions and these outrages are a symptom of that.
The politicos would do well to take serious heed.

This government has systematically milked and persecuted motorists, whilst sitting smugly with fingers in ears singing 'la-la-la, I'm not listening'. I cannot condone terrorism, but the government has created this issue. To quote JFK "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. "

It is an outrage the way this Gouvernment has treated the motorist where I live the car is an essentil not a luxury

Of course most mlotorists are angry the majority who do motor , it is the only way of getting on with their daily life . We all do not live next to our necessities of living . And to be penalised just for going about our daily busness is really most unfair . The public transport is in a mess . Yet everyone has a right to travel on public transport which is a disgrace. It needs more effort by the government to make it possible for those who travel to and from their workplace without the enormous cost of travel being deducted from their wage as a indirect tax for being on the road for which they have already paid for.
In motor vehicletax, .parking . wheel clamping ,congestion charges ,tax on petrol , I am surprised that they have not also put a mileage charge on the really heavy traveller. Having said that we are not terrorists . We leave that to the law makers and tax man

I am not an angry motorist but an angry resident of London who has to breath poisonous air every day, risk death crossing streets and have my cyclist friends injured and killed. I am furthermore a resident of the earth which is quickly being poisoned by the burning of fossil fuels which are causing dangerous climate change. I am angry that anyone thinks they have the right to inflict these things on their fellow humans just because they cannot be bothered to find less destructive means of transport.

Is it any wonder that someone has finally snapped and sought to terrorise those who terrorise the motorist. There has been nothing but evermore draconian legislation against the motorist for the past 25 years, yet the only really necessary piece of legislation needed for safety, annual eye-sight tests are further away than ever. Local councils have cut speed limits on almost all practical alternatives to future top price toll roads even though there is no justification for it other than to force you to pay extra to get anywhere in decent time. Its all part of a conspiracy to rip people off and practice ethnic cleansing by stealth taxes.

Spy in the Sky road pricing is the final straw which should break the camel's back yet Cameron & Co fail to come out against it even though they are theoretically against ID cards on civil liberties grounds. The civil liberties implications of Spy in the Sky road pricing are far worse than ID cards without compulsion to carry can ever be. I am beginning to wonder if the Tories are really interested in winning the next general election.

The 大象传媒 is also to blame as it continually runs propaganda features on the news and current affairs pointing out what a good idea road pricing is. They never mention that you will have to pay a substantial private road tax for the equipment. Newsnight couldn't even be bothered to mention road pricing a few weeks ago when it was top of the UK news agenda, running a film about Africa instead. Perhaps one of the main functions of the 大象传媒 is to protect the civil rights of the licence payers, clearly it is failing in this duty.

At least Labour back bencher Graham Stringer is against road pricing, perhaps he can convince many of the other brain dead champagne socialists to follow suit.

There is no justification whatsoever for violence. Although motorists do feel hard done by at times with some justification, part of this attitude results from urban myth, or deliberate misinformation and scare tactics.

Perhaps those journalists and editors who peddle some of the more extreme criticisms of the Governments policy towards motorists should take some responsibility for apparently influencing the misguided and dangerous actions of these idiots

Ihave been fined on two ocassions for speeding ,on one ocassion 38 mph [30] limit in the country and 38 mph I might add at 04.50 on a bypass. Thats fine,but the police are allowed to drive like lunatics in town centers and get away with it.

lets set up a pro motorist political group. then the minority anti-car fascists will be be checked

Despite the rhetoric from the government, motorists know that the true purpose of the speed enforcement effort is NOT about safety.

Of course drivers are frustrated and angry!

They can see through their windscreens every day that the government's authoritarian and draconian approach is failing to improve road safety, and is doing nothing to address the majority and most serious causes of traffic accidents.

I am a angry driver but not because of Mr Brown and his Taxs but because of the way I'm being treated by Tesco Insurance. On the 2nd Jan my car was hit by a drunk driver in a stolen car. Tesco told me the car was a right off - no problem - I got my cheque from them then they told me my No Claims Bouns (NCB) was 'suspended' and if they didn't get their dosh back off drunk boy I would lose it!! Seems I'm now the crim not the victim! I has insuranse, Tax, MOT everything the Goverment wants to have but because he had heehaw I get stung!! Unfair on a law abiding member of the public!!

Despite the rhetoric from the government, motorists know that the true purpose of the speed enforcement effort is NOT about safety.

Of course drivers are frustrated and angry!

They can see through their windscreens every day that the government's authoritarian and draconian approach, by it's outright focus on speed alone, is failing to improve road safety and is doing nothing to address the majority and most serious causes of traffic accidents.

Until we have a positive and honest engagement on road safety issues, motorists will continue to feel unfairly treated.

The "Speed Kills!" message is over simplified and considers only a small part of the safety story. If road safety campaigners truly believe in road safety, they need to consider that truth and review the whole picture. Whether one likes it or not, focussing so heavily on the speed issue has failed to engage the majority of drivers; that is not helping the safety cause. Think!

I'm angry about angry motorists.

I own a car, I drive my car - but I'd much rather not. It's expensive, intrusive and an environmental nightmare.

Some car drivers think they have a "right" and "freedom" to drive whatever, whenever, and wherever they like.

But what about their responsibilities? And what about everyone else's rights to clean air, quiet, safety and a society that does something about climate change.

Motorists are only motorists for some of the time. The ones that are angry need to think more about the times they're not in their cars, than when they are.

Those who say motorists are bleating too much obviously do not live in rural Britain ! and believe it or not, there still IS rural Britain, and quite close to London. My village in South Oxfordshire has an hourly bus service into the local town (which is free for OAPs like me - hooray!)but stops at 6.40pm, but NO BUSES ON A SUNDAY!!! This means that without a car, you are incarcerated at home for evenings and the day on Sunday - and neither can you get to the local train station. So much for a day out anywhere, after 6.40pm in the evenings, or all day on a Sunday. Living in the UK has become too much and too expensive - I am moving to France, or back to Los Angeles, as soon as possible.

Yes I am becoming an angry motorist.

From speed cameras, coupled with innapropriate speed limit cuts (which have shown NOT to reduce road deaths) to increasing congestion often caused by anti-motorist councils who turn normal lanes into bus lanes, add unnecessary traffic lights etc., I am getting fed up of being treated like a criminal.

Hopefully the planned road charging scheme will be Labour's poll tax, sending them out of power.

I'm angry about angry motorists.

I own a car, I drive my car - but I'd much rather not. It's expensive, intrusive and an environmental nightmare.

Some car drivers think they have a "right" and "freedom" to drive whatever, whenever, and wherever they like.

But what about their responsibilities? And what about everyone else's rights to clean air, quiet, safety and a society that does something about climate change.

Motorists are only motorists for some of the time. The ones that are angry need to think more about the times they're not in their cars, than when they are.

Those who say motorists are bleating too much obviously do not live in rural Britain ! and believe it or not, there still IS rural Britain, and quite close to London. My village in South Oxfordshire has an hourly bus service into the local town (which is free for OAPs like me - hooray!)but stops at 6.40pm, but NO BUSES ON A SUNDAY!!! This means that without a car, you are incarcerated at home for evenings and the day on Sunday - and neither can you get to the local train station. So much for a day out anywhere, after 6.40pm in the evenings, or all day on a Sunday. Living in the UK has become too much and too expensive - I am moving to France, or back to Los Angeles, as soon as possible.

I am a angry driver but not because of Mr Brown and his Taxs but because of the way I'm being treated by Tesco Insurance. On the 2nd Jan my car was hit by a drunk driver in a stolen car. Tesco told me the car was a right off - no problem - I got my cheque from them then they told me my No Claims Bouns (NCB) was 'suspended' and if they didn't get their dosh back off drunk boy I would lose it!! Seems I'm now the crim not the victim! I has insuranse, Tax, MOT everything the Goverment wants to have but because he had heehaw I get stung!! Unfair on a law abiding member of the public!!

No, I'm not an angry motorist, anger and driving don't mix very well, but I'm sick and tired of Government interference and money grabbing schemes masquerading as road safety and so called green politics. I wouldn't trust this government or frankly the possible alternatives to represent the real requirements of the people of this land. What really gets me is how all these minority opinions get as far as they do, they infect our culture and our lives mainly for the worst and our elected spineless politicians pander to them. Motorists are not a species apart from the rest of the population, there are 30m or so, completely diverse individuals, 10% of which I would find might share my views on safe motoring policies, the rest don't know which day of the week it is and are totally unaware of what is happening on a day to day basis, you'll find them in the middle lane of most motorways or stacked up against a tree on a completely straight road wondering about and asking what happened. No, I'm not an angry motorist, I'm a car driver who is very aware of what is going on around me both on and off the roads and it's not good! I'm not a motorist, because unlike 90% of those classified as such, I know that it is Wednesday today.

I've not been a motorist long, and I've never incurred any points on my license, thankfully, but I think that a lot needs to be done by the government for road-safety; The scameras need to go and people need to be taught how to drive properly instead of plodding along just below the speed limit because it's legal (so it must be safe), while they pay little or no attention to the road and traffic around them!
I'm not an angry person, but when my right to do something I love (drive) can be threatened by a group of idiots who are trying to con the British public, I get a little peeved.

I am not an angry motorist but an angry resident of London who has to breath poisonous air every day, risk death crossing streets and have my cyclist friends injured and killed. I am furthermore a resident of the earth which is quickly being poisoned by the burning of fossil fuels which are causing dangerous climate change. I am angry that anyone thinks they have the right to inflict these things on their fellow humans just because they cannot be bothered to find less destructive means of transport.

I m not an angry driver. I usually do my best to respect the traffic code.But there are things that sometimes make me angry.Even so, I never let the steering wheel guide me.Just three days ago,I had to pay a fine because I drove on while the light was red.But in reality Ionly realized there was a traffic light on the road when the policeman pointed at it.I was driving on the left and the traffic light was far off on the right,eclipsed by some trees and some parking vans.Do you think I shoulder the blame?I believe anyone in my place would feel he or she was tricked in one way or another.

I think a fair summary of what the majority of contributors have said thus far would be:-

1.No, motorists do not condone violence in any way, shape or form 鈥� be it on the road or off (these letter bombers in no way speak for the good and just amongst us);
2.Yes, most of us are angry at the way we鈥檙e treated by the motoring agencies, and the powers-that-be. It seems that a lot of people have had a run-in with the law, often for very minor (and even non-existent) offences;
3.No, we do not wish to incur yet another form of taxation via the the proposed vehicle tracking and road pricing policy;
4.Yes, we do wish to see the irresponsible, illegal and dangerous drivers targeted and punished for their crimes and
5.Maybe it would not be too much to ask for a thorough overhaul of transport policy that adopts a pragmatic approach to motoring and that takes into account the following:
路that we are a nation of road-users (sometimes through choice, more often through necessity)
路that we are indeed prepared to pay for this facility 鈥� within a fair pricing system
路that motorists will continue to use their vehicles as long as there is no viable or affordable public transport alternative.

A one time employee of mine told me something that opened my eyes. Following an incident involving a child on his route home he voluntarily went to the police following an appeal for information. He was arrested and his life was disrupted for months whilst they carried out their investigations. When eventually the culprit was caught they called him and told him to collect his belongings - no apology was given for all he had been through and it had left him severly affected - memberes of the public were still making malicious calls to him 2years after. The point here is to dispel the myth that you have nothing to fear if you have done nothing wrong. If road pricing is intoduced it will enable the police to dragnet hundreds like him if you were anywhere near a crime scene with your car. However, it is never an option to take the law into ones own hands and must be condemed without reservation.

Speed limits are there for a reason but unfortunately most people are that arrogant that they believe they are above the law. As for motorists being a target for the Government, we pay for the priviledge to drive on the roads and we pollute more than non-drivers, so why shouldn't we pay more? Many non-driving tax payers have to pay money to keep the roads in good condition for us but they don't seem to complain. As for being angry the only time I've felt tempted to break the law has been towards other motorists, not any motoring organisation like the dvla.

I have been a careful driver for more than fifty years. I have lived and driven in more than twenty different countries throughout the world. I have never caused and accident. I have never had an accident (touch wood) I have never made a claim on my insurance. My premiums have continued to rise disproprotionatly to the insured risk. My no claims bonus has never been, nor is it ever likely ever to be more than the current 60%. Last year I was Gatso'd doing 33 miles per hour in a built up area. I'm convinced that the Gatso caught to driver next to me who was going much faster than me - I think it was a bounced image. I now have three points on my licence, and my insurance premium will increase for the next five years. Perhaps I should have been a 'boy racer' at the outset.

There is no justice for car owners - they are all potential villans!

I am an angry motorist for the following reasons.
As an ex taxi driver I have had my hair turned white by the actions of pedestrians and cyclists as I did my job around Cambridge.
Imagene how you would feel as you drive along a street full of pedestrians on the pavement and cars and buses on the road. Your eyes have to be everywhere. Suddenly from the corner of your eye you see a pedestrian a few yards ahead step out onto the road in front of you not even casting a glance up the road to see if traffic is comming. you slam on your brakes and miss the fool only to be met with a tirade of abuse by the said pedestrian. Whos fault? couple this with the attacks from local and national government and the motorists become the most persecuted group in this country.

Yes, I'm an angry motorist. I'm sick and tired of the state implementing policies that are part of a blatant anti-car agenda. Ealing council recently sent out a consultation document to residents in the area that I live in. They want to install speed bumps, apparently to improve road safety. I've lived in the area for several years and I've not heard of one single incident. The road surfaces are in a dreadful state (if anything they are bumpy enough as they are) but the council want to spend our money making them more uneven still whilst addressing a risk that does not exist. And the reason I believe an ant-car agenda is being pursued? The consultation document lists the disruption during the construction phase as the only downside! No mention whatsoever of the increased noise (and environmental impact) because cars will be accelerating and decelerating rather than being driven at a steady speed. No mention of possible damage (or at the very least additional wear and tear) to residents' cars. No mention whatsoever of the effect on response times for the emergency services. No mention that they actually reduce road safety by increasing the number of cars on our roads with misaligned wheels and subsequently prematurely worn (and therefore dangerous) tyres. It wasn't just speed that nearly killed Richard Hammond, it was a tyre blow-out.

I do not think drivers have a right to be outraged - or any rights at all!.
I was taught the pedestrian has the first right to the road (Highway Code, circa 1960s)

The message is right "Speed kills".

Cameras are not put there by idiots (though cars - lethal weapons - are driven by them), but strategically, from police data about accidents.

Publicise the numbers killed on the roads, and compare it to rail crashes or air crashes, or humanitarian disasters, .... and the subsequent fuss that is made, and sympathy gained,.... then see what is outrageous.

Having lived in a village with a main road through it, I know what I am talking about.

If you drive a car, please read -

Sarah Kennedy was talking about this proposed car tax scheme on Radio 2. Apparently there is only one month left to register your objection to the 'Pay As You Go' road tax.

The petition is on the 10 Downing St website but they didn't tell anybody about it. Therefore at the time of Sarah's comments only 250,000 people had signed it and 750,000 signatures are required for the goverment to at least take any notice.

Once you've given your details (you don't have to give your full address, just house number and postcode will do), they will send you an email with a link in it. Once you click on that link, you'll have signed the petition.

The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you having to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly bill to use it. The tracking device will cost about 拢200 and in a recent study by the 大象传媒, the lowest monthly bill was 拢28 for a rural florist and 拢194 for a delivery driver. A non working mother who used the car to take the kids to school paid 拢86 in one month.

On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody will know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit in time you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution with your monthly bill.

If you are concerned about this Orwellian plan and want to stop the constant bashing of the car driver, please sign the petition on No 10's new website (link below) and pass this on to as many people as possible. Sign up if you value your freedom and democratic rights -

I have driven over 700,000 miles on four continents and seen a lot of accidents due to driver negligence - no less than six on the road south from Bangkok in one day. So I have developed an ability to drive safely whatever the conditions and, in the UK, generally find this is about equal to the posted speed limit. But in parts of towns 30mph can be too dangerous so I commonly slow down to 20-25 mph (with hooting from the occasional speed merchant).

But I did get annoyed when a speed camera flashed me on an empty motorway 5:30 am one morning. Yes there had been a 50mph sign some miles back but there were no repeater signs and - this is the point - there were NO road works in the area. The camera had been put there WEEKS BEFORE there was any hazard from road works, for which I cannot imagine any justification. At least it proved that I was travelling at a safe speed, 67mph, but I had to pay the ticket just the same.

I have developed a strategy to avoid such problems. It involves keeping below the speed limit wherever I know what the limit is (not always clear) and when I see the white lines or a orange camera I brake hard to reduce my speed to 10mph below what I believe the speed limit to be. Even if I am certain that I am not exceeding the limit: I do this every time so that it becomes automatic to slow down for a camera. The good thing is that it works - I have not been flashed again and I continue to drive safely and penalty free, and its quite legal. Any fool travelling too close behind me will have a problem, but then he should know a safe following distance and observe it (or have to do a sudden crash stop if he doesn't - I cannot prevent him crawling up my tail pipe).

More importantly, it means I can keep my eyes on the road and its potential hazards, rather than watching for half-hidden speed limit signs.

Having read quite a lot of the submissions, speed seems to be continually featured. Apparently excess speed is an issue in only 7% of accidents. This leaves us with issues for the other 93%. I feel that one of the main contributors to accindents is tiredness. This is not stigmatised as is speeding. Many people who are driving and feel tired do not set off to be in that predicament. Even with enough sleep one can still feel tiredness overtaking them and it may well be on a motorway with many miles to the next services. There are obviously times when driving at half the speed limit can be dangerous so judgement must play a part. If you supress drivers enough by various forms of legislation, thinking and judgement will become sterile and non responsive. Drivers will be driving under so much control that they will be unable to respond to a situation that tends to render them out control.

Yesterdays Watchdog demonstrated how vulnerable bank customers were to having their so called fully secure chip and pin security breached. The various other controls to be imposed upon us such as 'road pricing', 'ID cards' the mega expensive computerised fiascos such as the 'child support agency's' lead us ever nearer to a '1984'situation. I think it is very naive to offer the "if you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear" attitude as an aceptance of more state control. I realise that I have deviated but I see the ever increasing state stranglehold as very sinister. I certainly would not condone letter bombs as an answer to my detestation of the the system. Since the question arises I will have to consider how to deal with this subliminal opression!!! I could write reams on this and associated matters but have not time.

I am not a particularly angry motorist and I would no more consider sending a bomb through the post than I would think of throwing bricks at the moon.

I am, however a frustrated motorist and biker.

Speed cameras and all the surveillance equipment in the world will not make better drivers. I applaud the idea of sending offenders on 'Driving Awareness Courses.' Would it not, though, make more sense to teach good driving in the first place.
Very few drivers concentrate on DRIVING, even while they are doing it. Simply looking and planning ahead saves more lives and accidents than most drivers know; they cruise on blissfully unaware of others who take timely evasive action.
Considerate, well trained drivers can achieve better MPG, shorter travel time and be a lot greener. Try driving for a mile with a cup of coffee on your dashboard. When you are more confident, put it between your legs.
Use the money from speed traps to run driving courses.

(Start with the bus companies. Most of their drivers are either flat out on the throttle or the brake. I bet they could increase their profits even more and attract more customers if they went for the seriously smoooothe ride)

I will believe that speed cameras are for safety and not revenue when: the cameras are located at blind bends and not on open roads; drivers are always banned and not fined; a camera partership takes up the Motorcycle News offer of 拢1million if they can convince an independent panel of scientists that speed cameras improve safety; cameras are located according to the law and accident data from nearby cycle tracks, etc. are not used in the statistics to justify cameras on the road. If a driver is being neither dangerous nor inconsiderate then it does not matter if he is exceeding the sound barrier. The law is wrong. Bring back those Police class 1 drivers to detect the real offenders. Letter bombs are inexcusable, but the time has come for civil disobedience!

There's nothing wrong with the law. It's the rigid application of the letter of the law without any regard to its spirit that upsets people, especially where there is money to be made from pedantry. The more automated policing becomes, the more we will have to lead our lives with our eyes metaphorically glued to the speedometer. Only the guilty have anything to fear .. it won't be long before we're all guilty, if only by accident.

I got a speeding fine last year, at the time there was nothing on the road, I was in the middle of the countryside and on a national speed limit road. From the start of this post you may think that Im complaining, Im not, I was speeding, I got a ticket for speeding, simple as that.

I say we hide the cameras. Maybe then people will be forced to slow down everywhere instead of the 10m before and after the cameras.

I do have issue with bombing the DVLA though... Im pretty sure that my speeding fine was issued by the police and not the DVLA?!?

The suggestion that motorists are whingeing when breaking the law is irrelevant to the discussion. The issue is that they are seen as a constant increasing source of revenue. We all know that many cameras (particularly bus lane cameras) are targeted not to prevent the use of bus lanes, but to generate revenue.
Londons congestion charge hasn't decreased congestion, but pushed it further out. The tax on fuel is probably the highest in the world. The concept of "pay as you go" road charging is presently being considered. Did anyone tell us that there is a petition on the No. 10 web site where you can register discontent? (please use it as many signatures are required to change thinking. Public transport just does not offer what it needs to to reduce the use of the roads - and unless it increases in cost, never will do, particularly national travel.
Motorists are cash cows and peaceful demonstrations of feelings, are as far as I'm concerned, welcome

I wouldn't be nearly so angry if the 拢35 billion a year raised through petrol duty and road-fund tax was actually spent on public transport. As it is, less than 10% actually goes on solving transport issues - the rest just props up the treasury's spending on completely non-related things...

I am an angry motorist, pedestrian and parent!

The number of polarised views is completely depressing and not really helping!

Safety campaigners are missing the point. Nobody would say there shouldn't be speed controls. Motorists are asking that:
a) speed limits are set sensibly (just dropping all roads to 30mph is an attempt to dodge the responsibility of doing it properly. Some roads have blackspots while others are very wide with clear views of all other road users and should have their limits set higher.)
b) they are prominently displayed ( I was caught by a camera I could see before I drove past it, but there were no sign saying what the speed limit was! If this is the blackspot that is being claimed is it unreasonable to expect them to put a sign reminding the motorist what the speed limit is?)
c) they are enforced fairly and with common sense (fining speeding drivers on empty motorways in the middle of the night is not going to make anyone safer now is it?)
d) that they are not demonised for daring to suggest the current system is unjust. We are simply normal members of the public who are also trying to get by without doing harm to anyone. Safety campaigners do not have a monopoly on this.

With the current sledgehammer tactics the authorities are sweeping up law abiding drivers who have inadvertently strayed but have clearly not done anyone any harm! There must be a better way!!!

It seems to me that with the technology available the authorities should be well able to restrict the number of tickets they give out to repeat offenders.

I am a motorist. Legislative errors are annoying to say the least, but not grevious enough to compell anyone to break the law. Law is for our benefit, if a flaw is found in legislation then solution should be found within the rules layed for the purpose.
Humayun Bhatty
Birmingham

At long last-a infinity of cheers to jeremy Paxman for Newsnight tonight. He is the first interviewer to get to the real issue where motor cars are concerned and not let the motoring lobby dictate the agenda.
The fanatical motorist does not like speed cameras because they catch them speeding. They argue they pay to much in taxes but forget the extra costs they impose in pollution , road accidents etc.
Close examination of 90% of their claims to being hard done to show they are shrouded in myth and misinterpretation of the real truth.
Signed
A hard done to motorist who doesn't like having to keep to 30mph, who hates speed cameras. who would rather have free petrol. Who thinks all other non motorist road users are a nuisance, who pays to much road tax, Who believes the countryside should be concreted over and turned into a massive 'free for all' road system as the solution to climate change since this way the population would be rapidly reduced and then I could have the concreted countryside for himself to madly drive around chasing Jeremy Clarkson & Co.
Thank heavens the vast majority of motorists have brains not dulled by petrol fumes and realise anarchy is only for the anarchists.

Hi all,

Yes, I do feel that the motorist is being hounded to the extreme by the government.

As a high mileage driver with a clean licence and maximum no-claims on the insurance, I'm pretty sick at being used as an easy target by the government. Our public transport is inadequate and expensive - 2-3 times as much as our neighbours for inter-city travel - there is little alternative than to use the car.

I'm also sick of some speed limits being set too low and enforced, often because of accidents that have nothing to do with speed. The average speed of cars on the motorway is 78mph so it is the limit that is wrong, here!

The environmental argument is invalid - all recommendations for the introduction and increase in the use of bio-fuels have been conveniently forgotten by tbe government. Depending where you read it domestic central heating is responsible for 3-6 times as much CO2 emissions as road transport.
If the government cared about the environment,it would tax all goods imported from China as they are in the process of building 500 coal fired power stations, instead of us all wearing the hair shirt.
Also it's strange the environment was conveniently forgotten when it came to fighting the Iraq war which we're paying dearly for now!!

Not an angry motorist, but an angry road user (as a cyclist, pedestrian and car driver) fed up with 'motorists' whingeing about how they got caught speeding or using their mobile phone and how it is so unfair.

Sorry, but the law is there, backed up by research to show that these are dangerous activities that contribute to a significant proportion of RTAs. If you don't want to pay the fine or get the points, don't break the law. Or don't drive.

The day when speeding or using a mobile while driving is as socially unacceptable as drink-driving will be a happy one for me.

And before anybody goes on about how all cyclists break the law by riding on the pavements and jumping red lights, I agree with you, all road users (cars, buses, lorries, bicycles) who jump red lights and mount pavements should face fines.

With regard to the road pricing thing, I do think that the Government will have to invest far more heavily on alternatives (public transport, dedicated cycle routes) at the same time, if the measures are not to be seen purely as a revenue-generating exercise.

When I lived in London I used to risk limb and life by cycling to work although I used my car to drive to Berkshire to see my family about once a month. Despite paying my annual resi parking, I was fined heavily twice in my street because I hadn't seen the photocopy warning put up 2 weeks before work was going to be carried out in certain parking spaces. I missed the signs because I wasn't using my car. Once when I cycled to work, using a short cut through Hyde park (at 7am), I was fined. When I had a baby, I tried to use public transport which was a joke. As a parent I am horrified to see how fast motorists drive and although I get upset with silly fines relating to parking issues as I've explained, speeding cannot be justified and neither than talking on mobile phones whilst driving.

I'm just angry!

It seems that increasingly modern commercial life is about finding new ways to inveigle small ammounts of money from consumers. Whether the target is a motorist or not.

Last week we discovered at our small busiess that our franking machine is set up to ask for money every 6 weeks, even when it has a large credit balance. Someone here has been religously putting money onto it and the company that runs the device won't let us have it back, instead we have to use it and it'll take about two years. It's possible not to pay - but the software system makes it much easier to proceed through topping up funds.

Another example, again from last week: we have a pre-pay mobile phone that we solely use for a relative that flies in from the US. Apparently the mobile carrier that runs this phone deletes the credit if you don't use the phone for a month - and yes you guessed it, there seems to be no way of obtaining this money back - there goes another 拢20!

I could spend time getting these monies back I guess, but I'm a partner in a small business and my time's better served maximizing earnings rather than spending hours calling customer relations departments.

So - that's why I'm angry.

No I'm not an angry motorist, I'm angry with motorists. As a group they are responsible for thousands of deaths each year, around ten every day in fact, and then they complain when attempts are made to make driving safer.

The standards of safety applied to roads should be the same as those applied to the railways, with as many automated safety measures as possible. Currently, without automated speed and other safety controls, monetary fines are the best way to focus the motorist's mind on the job at hand. Millions of people take control of a potentially lethal weapon every day, and treat this as a fundamental right and, in many cases, a game.

Motorists should be taught that their chosen mode of transport is a privilege which comes with profound responsibilities, and that if they abuse it it will be taken away. If you're a motorist angry with the way you are treated, then you don't deserve to be a motorist, because by rights you should be even more tightly controlled than you are already.

I have read all of the above comments and did not see one which might solve a lot of the problems of road-rage and speeding issues. Cars are sold solely on their ability to go as fast as possible (& we hope you don't get caught!). If we recognise the serious problem of speeding, why don't the government force car manufacturers to limit the vehicles to a reasonable speed in this very small island - I find the speeds that people drive at quite frightening these days, and I don't just mean young people. Also, most people believe that paramedics can save you when you crash, please look at the statistics for dead on arrival at hospital from major RTAs.

I got my car clamped in a place I was entitled to park in but failed to dislay my permit. Wheel clamping people said I could appeal so that I'd pay the 拢135. On appeal I sent a copy of my permit but they still refused it. I sought legal advice from my local citizen's advice and they said there was nothing I could do but grovel. There is no law or overseeing body to protect those who are bullied in paying huge fines when an honest mistake has been proved!

So what if speed cameras are another tax on motorists? Someone has to pay tax to fund all our public services and Speed Camera Tax is an optional, easily avoidable tax. Don't speed, don't pay the tax. Simple.
Arriving safely at your destination in one piece is an added bonus.

Adrian Read says that "Speed Camera Tax" is easily avoidable. Is it? Every second of every minute I drive, I attempt to stay within the the legal limit and so far I have avoided this tax but I would not say that it is easy or enjoyable. If avoiding speeding is so important, why does not the government encourage the inclusion of speed monitoring devices within cars to alert drivers to preset, programmable and transponder-set speed levels? That way the government would be actually trying to assist me to keep within the law rather than trying to catch me out if I allow the speed to creep up while distracted from the speedometer by the need to check what is on the road.

In response to Adrian Read - As a motorist, I have no objection to funding any public service that benefits the people of this country.

If all the money payed by the UK motorist was spent on providing an efficient integrated transport system then I would be extremely pleased.

However, I fear that a large sum of taxpayer's money goes on funding our Middle-East campaigns, not to mention the policing of the resultant terrorist threat. The motorist is an easy target to help plug the economic black hole left by items such as this.

I'm angry and a motorist!!

There appears to be a LOT of disgruntled drivers out there about the proposed travel tax, where you are charged more depending on how many miles you actually travel... Hang on, is this ANOTHER tax? Labour really loves hiding taxes behind "environmental" issues. Tell you what, let's do a test of the system on civil servants, see how much it costs, see what a hindrance to life public transport actually is when connections must be made, targets must be met, and delays lets face it are inevitable somewhere along your journey.

Something to reply to in this discussion... Motorists are indeed a cause of death on the road, but how many of these deaths could be avoided by not having idiots IN THE ROAD at the time. I have to admit almost hitting a number of kids in a 30mph zone in Newcastle when they literally just walk into the road not looking, I swerve around them or brake in time, but they just don't care that they could be killed. Bring in a pedestrian tax of j-walking, least the system's balanced then.
I disagree with the congestion charges- our prior taxes paid for the roads to be built, now the congestion charge is charging us to use them again.
Labour need kicking out, they have gone truly insane. They were meant to support the working class, but to me it seems they're making it so only those who can afford it can do what many of us need to do to keep this country running. I am now looking to move abroad, thanks for the education (though it would have been free with the previous government).

I am a careful driver but we are awash with speed cameras in the UK. The sheer volume is designed to extract maximum cash from motorists - many of whom are safe drivers. I live in North London - trying to avoid capture by speed cameras, red light cameras, bus lane cameras etc makes driving nerve wracking, because it is so easy to make a genuine mistake.

This in itself is a risk as drivers are often on the lookout for cameras rather than watching the road properly. Many cameras are not about safety, but about entrapment for cash.

Total Speed camera numbers - UK - 4851, Germany -3088, France - 840, Spain 475. Surely the sheer volume in our small country tells us that this is not just about safety.

One question regarding the fitting of a GPS system to tax our miles: What about foreign visitors?

Doesn't this constant whine about "its only a way of collecting revenue" begin to grate on your nerves? Do these whiners also agree that fining thieves, vandals, drunks etc. is also simply to raise revenue? Maybe they would think it fairer if the government just jailed motorists who broke the law, since at least they would be spending money, not collecting it?

"Freedom is not free and the deaths on the road are tragic but it is a price that is paid for freedom."

Hahahahaha!

This is satire, right? FFS....

The first thing my dear ol' dad told me when he started to teach me to drive was "Always remember that you're controlling a ton of metal. It can kill people. Be careful." People forget all those things too dam' quickly. And they have NO RIGHT to forget them. Freedom my a***.

Yes I am an angry motorist because I was caught allegedly speeding at 38mph down a steep hill by policemen hiding in bushes with a radar gun. It was not a built up area there were no other cars around and it was not dangerous. At the time I did not see a warning notice and I do not believe there was one but soon afterwards one appeared! In my and other people's opinion the only purpose could have been to catch motorists unaware to raise funds. It could not have been a safety measure.
When I receive a 拢60 pound fine for this and three penalty points after over 30 years of safe driving yet see other motorists speeding at double my speed between cameras and changing lanes etc and know they would only receive the same penalties - if caught - I am very angry, especially with police hiding in bushes.

However, I do not believe one should break the law. I wrote to my MP Mr Tony McNulty and the Bournemouth Police but recieved anodyne and unsatisfactory replies.

I am a driver who always think that safety comes first. Let us control our car and not our car controls us. I am a speed concerned person and observed laws imposed strictly. I do plan my journey. I always add into account the traffic flow that might happen for all my journey. Come out early from home and not rush into things. Plan our journey. We want ot go our from our home in one piece and comes back in one piece too. Be patient in all circumstances and always be cool, If matters arises, and things got heated up, I will always put myself into the other person's shoes and analyse situations. Why does it happen and how it happen. Control the heat and always bar in mind that what ever happens in this world, it is on gods will. All problems can be solve. Searching for solutions in a proper manner is much better than confrontations. Always think that you are not always right and get the necessary help from professionals. Do not be your own judge.

I am a driver who always think that safety comes first. Let us control our car and not our car controls us. I am a speed concerned person and observed laws imposed strictly. I do plan my journey. I always add into account the traffic flow that might happen for all my journey. Come out early from home and not rush into things. Plan our journey. We want ot go our from our home in one piece and comes back in one piece too. Be patient in all circumstances and always be cool, If matters arises, and things got heated up, I will always put myself into the other person's shoes and analyse situations. Why does it happen and how it happen. Control the heat and always bear in mind that what ever happens in this world, it is on gods will. All problems can be solve. Searching for solutions in a proper manner is much better than confrontations. Always think that you are not always right and get the necessary help from professionals. Do not be your own judge.

This for all the officers of the law who regularly break the law around the area I live in: for example 33 mph in 30 mph zone, park right next to a school entrance so we ( other drivers) have to pull out into on coming traffic.
When questioned on do they think that the school entrance is a good place to park the usual reply is what is your name sir.
What happened to the term "fair cop guv".
Another thing that prings to mind is how does an officer answer his radio when he/she is a vehicle on their as seen regular around the city's in the UK.
I bet you nothing is said in a court of law when a officer is questioned on how did he answer his radio whilst going to the scene of the crime makes you wonder hey????

I broke the law. I was exceeding the speed limit on the M1 near Leeds. Why wasn't I offered a speed awareness course as some of your correspondents were?
Incidentally, West Yorkshire Police pursue EVERY speed offence spotted whether by camers or other means. The officers who dealt with my offence at the roadside emphasised that I was not being charged with dangerous driving or any other motoring offence. If speeding is not dangerous why is it an offence?

Automatic and manned Speed camera
Intallation since 1992 has made little or no change to any decrease
in serious road injuries and deaths.
The most major contributions to any reductions in in that period are linked almost completely to private car design and ENFORCED legislation on qualification and training for motorbike riding.
Great oppourtunities have been lost by this overconcentration on 'speed kills'and its robotic enforcement. Close analysis of national and local KSI figures will reveal a very patchy series of results with Camera Partnerships crowing loudly about lives saved in one year then going quiet on figures when a bad year comes come in countywide or at particularly bad sites.and
Many more lives would have been saved if the other 3Es of EDUCATION and ENGINEERING had greater emphasis in conjunction with proper human traffic policing and considered ENFORCEMENT .
Lives will not be saved by pointless speed reductions and cameras brought about by emotionally charged decisions or untoward influence of politicians who want to DO SOMETHING
and b----r the consequences or any useful results.

Brian Fitzell Kent
Brian Fitzell Kent

I read with astonishment the views of those who think that motorists are 'getting what they deserve'. Are these people really that gullible?

'Oh no! a child hit at 40mph might die!!!' Well, which poor excuse for a parent let's their child play in the road anyway? When I was a child my parents taught me that roads were not the place to play. The green cross code was second nature to me. Is stop,look & listen too difficult for modern parents and pedestrians to learn? Are some people incapable of working out the safest place to cross a road?

Speed doesn't kill. Inappropriate speed kills. There's a difference. If speed truly killed then how come the motorists that get 'taxed' by speed cameras aren't killing someone every time they strayed 1mph over the limit?

If the politicians really wanted to reduce congestion they'd provide alternatives to road users. As it is the public transport system is such a disgrace only the truly desperate would use it!

Politicians don't care for the individual's rights. They don't care about the enviroment. They couldn't care less about road safety. What they do care about is making money and convincing the intellectually inferior that they should be allowed to stay in power so that they can keep the fat pay checks rolling in.

The politicians should remember what happened the last time they tried to foist an unpopular tax upon us. Poll tax riots. Politicians should remember that they serve us. Not the other way round.

i agree completeley with paul phillips & what he stated about children playing in roads it is completley the parents fault not highligthing the dangers of roads to there children.im a parent my self & im forever telling my children the dangers of the road & they no better than to run out & certainly play in one,im also a motorist who is sick off being penolised because the enviroment is in such a bad state which cars are not the biggest cause & forever worrying where the next sneaky under handed REVENUE(not saftey)van is hiding on roads that realy dont need one there like dual carrageways instead of by schools and roads that are used by children!as for pay as you tax thats a complete mickey take see how many buisnesses go bump trying to pay that along with over priced fuel & insurance!!!

I have read many of the comments from above and find some have a valid point most don't, as a serving officer with THAMES VALLEY POLICE i'm tasked with speed enforcement and casualty reduction, my roll is to liase with local residents who form part of there neighbourhood action group and request we attend the road and enforce the speed limit, this maybe due to a school or elderly housing, things that people speeding do not take into account, yes i agree it may be another way for the government to get cash, and belive the money should be ploughed back into road safety, but at the end of the day should you do 40 or 73 in a thirty zone your in control of the car and can blame no one else, speed does kill ! and when it does then we are held to account why did we do nothing on that road, if people want change then it starts with driver attitudes, i also chase yobs who do graffiti and other anti social things, it's easy to point the finger at the police but at the end of the day we are told what to do by the politician's who i feel interfear with not only the police but justice sytem far to much.

If i speed then fine my own fault if i get a ticket . but i am sick to death of morons who are doing wel over the speed limit driving up my backside because i not going at 90mph, but it never seems to be these idots who get the tickets! also i am fed up of hearing about how we are damaging the enviroment, yes i would love to be using public transport. I am an nursing students i have to travel to placement all over the place, not having a car is not visible, not only do i have to do that work but i have essays and documentiation to write up. when i drive a 40 min journey by train and bus that is going to be about and hour and a half! using public transport would help but the links need to be better. Also agree with what everybody is saying about keeping children safe, i am so fed up of seeing young drivers racing through villages when little kiddeis are running about! and finally , if the police want to make our roads safer then they would out in average speed cameras rather than a random one, all people do is slamm on their brakes which makes it more hazedrous! i dont think this situation will ever be sorted the goverment mucked it up wayy to much

Yes we are! simple as...we already pay tax on petrol on the road disc, on insurance! and on the vehicle itself! How much more do we need to pay in these stealth taxes?

Government is using Carbon emmisions/ Global warming as a ligitamate excuse to make more money out of the naive people of this country and there is alot of them and whats worse they know it as they test the water nowadays to find out which direction to make money out of us. Whilst the economy struggles as China wins they look to us to recoup the monies lost on their stock exchange gambling.

what are people talking about on here? Nobody has read the question properly and have just ranted on about their own self righteous position on the road. I bet my house the ones complaining about the speeding are the ones who stick themselves into either outer 2 overtaking lanes of the motorway, or stop in the middle of a main road and make their own giveway to be courteous. How much could we rant on about each others driving techniques?

I admit I speed....but thats is only to be in front and out of the way of the idiots who are clearly driving without due care and attention and the main causes of crashes. You can drive up someones backside for miles before they even realise you are there! Then they wont move over to let you past..why?? ive taken to undertaking them instead and how much do they not like that either. hahahaha!

Back to the subject everyone missed..what do we do about the conjestion? well again the governments answer is eliteist, make them pay more! This will cause more problems in policing the rules. I dont believe the new mobile phone rules are going to have any affect.

The fairest way to do it is by the safest drivers, the ones with the skill and ability to drive. Change the test, make it more difficult so we only have the drivers with ability to drive safely on the road. People with good reaction times, good concentration, this is an easy test and cheap.(but would it make money?)

How much is the business of driving fines worth??

The people who say speed kills are naive and dont have the first clue about driving..They should be the ones banned from the roads.
Speed doesnt kill, accidents can kill, Drivers not paying attention kill, Inconsiderate drivers kill, I could go on but its back to ranting about the drivers with poor ability.

yes i have to admit that i do get angry when on the roads but not beacuse of speed cameras and traffic control measures, but because of the number of irresponsible drivers that are out there. the main reason for my anger is young people on mopeds, and when i say young i mean the 16 year olds. they are a danger to road users. i feel that people off this age in this country are far to irresponsible to be let loose on our roads. something needs to be done!!

I have just read most of the comments on this site, (phew! - get a life I hear you say but it's better than BB - my 3 female/familial co-habitants have applied the majority rule and I am not yet ready for bed - or the knackers yard - 42 years).
I agree with a lot of the comments re speeding, stealth taxes via camera, et al, (I am a driver and our family own 2 cars) and the huge administrative wall that prevents democrative rebutall to challenge the aforementioned.
I think , however, that we all face a rather more intrinsic, sinister and, above all, terrifying fact of life that, if not addressed quickly and correctly, will soon compromise the most basic of all of our rights -that of being able to exist symbotically with each other. (I will not be patronising by explaining but would invite anyone who has not come across the word to look it up in a - ssh - dictionary, PC or, god forbid, ask someone for the meaning.
Can I state it the way I see it?
Lets start with motoring, as we were on it anyway.
Do you think road rage is a modern thing? (1980's - )?
I think that it has been going on for years. All you had/have to do was/is look out of your window or walk down the street to see anti social people. Do you think that they will change when they get behind the wheel of a car?
The only change is that now more can afford a car, lack of insurance, tax etc. notwithstanding. Many may see this as progress and welcome it. I believe that progress is a slow, thoughtful process. (Mother nature was never one to rush things and she has been at it a lot longer than us).
You can apply this to almost any facet of life that with change comes resposibility.

In simplistic terms, we are all a lot better off in financial, information and leisure terms, (never mind all the numbers games that all sides play}. Can you remember being born in the 50/60's and having all the "benefits" of todays society?

Where we lose, is that the majority, (I believe), are no longer able to see upheld the values that we either voted for or believed in. If this continues, it can only end in war, revolution or anarchy - civil then internationl.

I'm afraid the responsibility for this does not lie with governments but with adults and children. Where are tolerance, forgiveness and humanity? Are these to be replaced by god knows what?

I have heard it said that it is good that people know their rights these days.
I ask, should they not also know their wrongs?

I was told about a wheel clamping incident in Cambridge around 2 weeks ago,it was done by Cambridge TV they got their vehicle clamped to show people it was illegal, and called the police , to show this was not right, does anyone know anything about this, thnk you