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. Indeed the computer on our vehicle regularly indicates that our average speed each week is below 30mph rather than above it even when we have included 100miles or more of motorway in weekly totals averaging 250-300miles. If anything then I must qualify as one of those 'slow' drivers who merit their place on the road less than tearaways (not always young) who persist in driving much faster than I do because of their claimed greater skills and quicker reactions -often, as I witness, with offside wheels either on or over the road-centre, diving into slip-roads far too late, or hitting roundabouts with negligible caution or consideration. 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 wallet. 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 over-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. The really crazy thing is (typical now for this country as your column regularly points out) that one is actually a much safer driver at 5% over the particular limit with attentive eyes on developing dangers than distracted by excessive instrument-reading at fractionally less speed. Meanwhile the 'dark-windowed, giant-spoiler' brigade, most motorcyclists (and cyclists riding two abreast) seem to continue with all sorts of dangerous conduct on the road with regular impunity. 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 O.T.T. 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.