Why Britain has SLOWED rage...and the TWELVE moves to beat it

From 20mph speed limits to lane hogging, drivers are increasingly gridlocked on our roads. Motoring expert and celebrity lawyer NICK FREEMAN, aka Mr Loophole, shares his guide to getting the nation back into gear

- Angela Epstein

DRIVING in Britain is misery. Pure misery. Even though I'm a petrol-head, and have owned some stunning motors over the years, when I flick on the ignition and the engine flares up, my heart usually sinks.

Undoubtedly, it's because I know what lies ahead: traffic snarled roads, unfeasible speed limits - high and low - as well as drivers whose rage, boredom or ignorance turn every route into an assault course. It's why I love driving on the Continent since the roads are well maintained and the traffic laws make sense.

Here drivers are, at best, treated like cash cows and at worst with complete irrelevance.

Urgent change is needed if we are to get our roads moving and for Labour to convince us they are not at war with the motorist.

I firmly believe I'm in pole position to show this Government what needs to be done. After all, I spend hours on the roads, clocking up around 50,000 miles every year.

Partly that's because my legal work takes me to trials, police stations and cases all over the country. But also because I suffer from terrible motion sickness. The only way I can get around without being separated from my lunch is if I drive myself.

Even though I've been labelled Mr Loophole, there's no get-out clause or lacuna to beat that.

For too long successive governments have treated motorists with contempt. Why? Perhaps our politicians simply didn't have the right people to advise them (I once did a radio debate with a transport secretary who didn't even know what lane hogging was).

So here are 12 changes that the Government must introduce to ensure 2025 is the year Britain gets moving... at the right speed.

1 JUNK blanket 20mph speed limits and only deploy them between designated rush-hour times or during school drop-offs and pick-ups.

After all, what have they achieved? Just more congestion at a cost of billions.