I am writing to you on a subject to which I believe you referred in your column - traffic humps. I am the owner of a Racing Green S-Type Jaguar which is dealer-maintained, and by the way I am an extremely careful driver with a clean licence since 1964. Grange Jaguar of South Croydon invited me for a free 25-point pre-winter check and car wash worth £59, which I thought could not be bad. Within an hour they called me to say I needed two new rear tyres plus reparations to the tracking at a cost of £578, which of course I agreed to.

The dealer advised that the damage was attributable to speed cushions - the ones I try to straddle, and the damage to the tyres was invisible, being on the inner shoulder. The tyres otherwise looked good to for another 20,000 miles. Apart from the cost, which I could handle, there are many other worries. The damage was invisible. I was unaware that I was driving with tyres that must be replaced. In the event of an accident, insurance companies might resist paying up. Driving with illegal tyres could result in a substantial fine and points. Traffic humps are meant to be a contribution to road safety, but by their existence are having the opposite effect, resulting in thousands of cars are being driven with defective tyres and steering imperilling us all. Something needs to be done and I hope that you are the one to do it.