Comment

First published June 27, 2008

TODAY I have the sad task of writing my last In the Driving Seat column.

I'm moving on so I'm afraid you'll have to live without my weekly words of wisdom.

It all started almost exactly six years ago: my first column was published on July 5, 2002.

That was about Michael Schumacher, which shows how things have changed since them - Michael who? younger readers might be wondering.

A lot of other things have changed, too.

For instance, the M6 toll road would not open for another year and a half, in December 2003, although, fairly typically, planners had started talking (and talking... and talking...) about it since 1980.

The price to drive your car down it has, you won't be surprised, rocketed, from £2 to £4.50, prompting me and probably many others to boycott it whenever heading to the North.

And of course it wouldn't be right to talk about rocketing prices without mentioning petrol.

Guess the price of a litre of petrol in the year this column started?

In 2002 you'd be paying 74p a litre, compared to about 118p today.

I bet you didn't dream of the day when drivers would stick to the speed limits, not because of the proliferation of speed cameras, but because they wanted to get the most out of every drop of fuel in their tank.

But it's definitely happening. My trips up and down the A12 confirm fewer people are on the road and there's no doubt they're driving more slowly.

On a happier note, I've really enjoyed reading your many letters and e-mails.

Most of them have been positive, although the one that sticks in my mind began: "Mr Tute, you are an irresponsible journalist...".

I've no recollection of what I'd written irresponsibly about but there's nothing like being told off by a reader to focus your mind.

Anyway, thank you again for reading this column - I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Happy motoring! James.

10:17am Friday 27th June 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login