As drivers we are admonished by our leaders to do better and be mindful of all the road safety rules and regulations. Commit a minor misdemeanour, however innocently or accidentally, and a camera has your number or a policeman pulls you over and your billfold is suddenly, painfully, lighter. That?s how it works here on the British Isles and I daresay it is the same in the USA.
Big Promises
Successive UK governments (motto: If you can?t fight, wear a big hat) have made road safety a top priority. This is as it should be but, like a boasting bully, they scarcely ever follow through when it comes to supporting the automotive infrastructure. In short, we are supposed to drive better but we have to do it on increasingly inferior roads.
In the UK, road maintenance is carried out by two different agencies. Local or regional town and country councils must maintain the minor roads and The Highways Agency must maintain the arterial routes, motorways, and expressways. Friends, it just ain?t happening.
A Bit Of History
When cars were invented, it didn?t take long for governments to realise there was money in it for them. As vehicles improved the requirement of better roads became greater and it is the driver who paid. Our motoring taxes work like this: A substantial amount of the cost of a gallon of fuel is made up of not one, but two, taxes. When we buy a new car, part of the cost is tax. When we insure it there is tax to pay, and every year thereafter we have to pay another tax know...