Isn't it about time that we got back to the idea of a car being a mode of transport and not a status symbol

I particularly enjoyed the words "back to" in that sentence. A challenge then: find me ONE TIME in history where quality of transportation owned - be it horse, carriage or car - was NOT a status symbol. (Hint: No such time exists.) Sorry Andy, but this phrase betrays a longing for some mythical "Golden Age" which any cursory examination history shows simply never existed.

As far as I can see, most really serious accidents seem to feature trucks. Not only are they on the road for more hours, but when a truck driver screws up, things go wrong in a VERY big way. Also trucks are a major cause of congestion on roads, partly because of their sheer numbers, but also because of the limiters which cause them to overtake each other at half a mile an hour, thereby blocking the road for other faster traffic and causing tailbacks.

Emma, I have to say JC's comments on cyclists are (a) obviously tongue-in-cheek, and (b) too close to wish-fulfillment. Cyclists who stop at a red light, who have adequate lights and who look behind them before turning are in a massive minority. I don't mind cyclists nipping up the inside if it's safe, but there's all too many who try squeezing up the inside of slow-moving traffic, or up the inside of stationary traffic just as the lights turn green - if they get mashed against a lamp-post, it's emphatically not the car-driver's fault. Yes, there are also plenty of car drivers who aren't considerate towards cyclists, but they're vastly outnumbered by cyclists who simply don't display concern for their own safety.

FWIW, the latest Top Gear had Jeremy Clarkson in absolute raptures over a tiny 8bhp bubblecar from the 1960s. Those one-dimensional petrol-heads, eh? It also featured a drag-race between a Bugatti Veyron and a Eurofighter Typhoon. Lovely visuals and very petrol-head, but let's face it, not exactly something you're going to replicate yourself down the M1, is it?

Graham.