A couple of months ago, there it was sat hidden in the middle of a news report, another new government proposal to reduce driver’s co2 emissions, by introducing new measures within the driving test to make sure people drive economically!

Oh come on! How the hell do they expect this to work! Picture this…….

Little Jonny has just reached 17. Like a fair few typical 17 year olds (especially boys), he is desperate to drive and wants to be out there impressing his mates and the various girls that hang around him. So, studiously, he studies and follows to the letter his driving test training including their new section on Co2 reduced driving methods (and please note I say driver test training, because as we all know every one in the real world always follows the high way code and abides to the rules of the road religiously!), and bingo a couple of weeks later he passes his test.

Now what’s the first thing Jonny does. That’s right. He picks his mates and their various girl friends up, dials up four and half thousand revs in his 1.2 Corsa, and dumps the clutch! Let’s face it, Jonny doesn’t give a toss about the environment at this point and is more concerned about looking cool and increasing his chances of getting h is rocks off with one of the birds he has in the back!

How are they genuinely intending to enforce this madness? Short of creating a big brother state with regards to motoring (as if it isn’t already bad enough), which forces every new driver to have their car limited to 2500rpm, this has got to be impossible. And please don’t mention GPS tracking either because if they start use this sort of system, it won’t just be new drivers that will fall under the electronic straight jacket.

There is a better way to reduce Co2 via the driving test. Anyone can learn to pass their exams, but driving responsibly in every day life is a different matter. The only way that we will regulate driving is for people to be continuously re-examined at set intervals. An MOT for drivers as it were. Before people start moaning though, driving is a privilege, not a right. After all a car can be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. Just because you passed the driving test ten years ago, doesn’t mean you are still a competent driver.

So how does this save Co2 especially as there will be more driving tests, more paperwork and more bureaucracy. Consider this, driving standards will hopefully be improved, accidents will be reduced, fewer cars will be damaged, fewer people will be injured, etc etc etc… It all adds up.

Let’s be realistic though Mr Brown, if you want to save Co2, just stop wasting your breath, electricity and paper by putting out press releases on idiotic schemes like this!