What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Clock watching

With hundreds of thousands miles behind me, happily accident-free, I reckon I generally know when I am driving at a safe speed for the conditions and, given fair reminders of the speed limit (often lacking) would rarely transgress by more than 3-5mph. To get more feedback on my speeds I decided some months back to install an extra (digital) speedo which sits before me on top of the dashboard where any front passenger can also spot and tell me when I commit any breaches and help keep the so-called 'safety-camera-partnerships' out of my pocket. Despite all this it is ludicrously difficult (indeed impossible as these highway-robbers well know) not to stray by the odd small margin unless one glues ones eyes to instruments instead of to the road and, like most motorists, I will no longer be surprised when the morning mail eventually lowers my spirits with a fine and points on my licence. As in so many other aspects of UK life commonsense has been turned upside-down in the past decade. Witness, for example, the masses of OTT road-markings that can be afforded but not, it seems, suitably-obvious speed and speed-limit reminders which would be a sight more conducive to road-safety than any number of speed-vans and cameras craftily clicking up the revenue for their quangos.

Asked on 7 March 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
More common sense for blinkered readers like H.M. of Swindon to ignore in their obsessive respect for the ‘law’, however twisted, contradictory and plain dangerous the ‘law’ may be.
Similar questions
I think it was RA, and not CG, who "missed the point" recently. CG was valid in saying that he "concentrates more on speed cameras than what is around him". I know that you can reasonably expect to suffer...
Lots of arrogant persistent lawbreakers (speeders) often complain that speed cameras are a revenue stream for the government. With our huge deficit needing paying back somehow, I'd far rather see these...
I very much enjoy your column. I am a retired Superintendent from the Hong Kong Police. My last 5 years service was spent in charge of a large traffic police unit covering half the territory. Having come...
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer