English people are stupid ..and it only takes 26 miles of water to prove it!
I know this is rather a sweeping statement, especially coming from an Englishman, but give me a chance to explain my story and I'm sure you'll start to agree.
In the last week I've driven over 1400 miles from our home in Buckinghamshire to the South of France for a short break away. For the most part I've not only been able to tolerate the miles but actual enjoy them, truth is that a journey of this length though daunting for some is something I quite enjoy - I love driving!
I just wanna cruise
However it gives you an education and although I've done it before this time the lessons of our continental friends really started to sink in. Being able to whack on cruise control at 130km/h and hardly ever turn it off (toll paige's and toilet breaks permitting) is just heaven and completely stress-free, sure there will be the odd interruption but nothing that causes more than a rye smile.
More importantly for our own governments attention is that the temptation to speed (or speaking frankly act like a right t*at) seems to desist, nearly everyone does the same speed and the 130km/h (82/83mph) limit is usually enough to satisfy most people's need for speed. The safety concious are also satisfied that this limit drops to 110km/h (68/69mph) in rainy conditions, simple huh!?
To confirm my suspicions within 5 minutes of getting off the train onto the M20 I had people trying to race me, I was constantly having to switch lanes to maintain a constant speed, and I soon fell back into old habits of shooting down the fast lane to avoid all the idiots. Only in the speed-controlled section of the M25 did a semblance of stress-free driving resume when I was for the some part able to put cruise back on.
.. and whilst I'm at it
On arriving at our friends B&B near Cognac Darren immediately commented that the low-profile tyres on our new car weren't exactly designed for French roads - how wrong he was! Although some of the roads in France can be poorly maintained he wants to try driving to our house from Folkestone, it's like pot-hole alley and the worsening state of our locals roads in only a week quite frankly wants to make me move to France - like now!
Comments: T&C's apply
Before I get a rage of comments on how I don't know how bad French roads can be and how bad French driving can be, I do acknowledge that the roads & driving the further South you go does tend to be more erratic, but this doesn't detract from the basic concept that 110-130km/h with speed-controlled zones on all our motorways might be the answer to a stress-free, speeding-ticket-free, existence.
