That'll be sixty quid and three points sir

Been away; ill, busy at work, and, umm, stuff.

But the world contains to anger. For it seems that another one of those "little things" that make life just a bit more shit is imminent:

A new generation of speed cameras that makes it harder for motorists to avoid being caught may soon get government approval, the manufacturers have said.

Geoff Collins of Speed Check Services said approval was now in the "end game" stage and some 35 local authorities had expressed an interest in the system.

It uses a network of cameras to work out average speed over a wide area.

Pressure group the Association of British Drivers (ABA) said the plans were "completely irrelevant to safety".

The Home Office and the Department of Transport said they could not comment until approval had been given.

Nggg.

Of course, this is one of those difficult things to actually oppose. Speeding is wrong, speeding is illegal, speeding causes the horrible mangly death of ten million innocent children per year, and so on.

Except that speeding is FUN. I don't drive much - this is because drinking is even more fun, and drink-driving is most assuredly not big and not clever.

But when I drive, in a modern car on modern motorways, 70mph feels numbingly slow. Any speed you can comfortably attain with another gear remaining surely cannot be a realistic upper limit.

So maybe the Government could compromise: they can bring in their horrible little speed cameras to reinforce speeds in the areas they should be enforced (ie, built-up areas), and make the speed limit on three-lane motorways (where speed should be allowed) 90mph - and make driving tests incorporate motorway driving so that new drivers are not unprepared for it.

That sounds fair to me. Which is probably why it'll never happen.