An elderly relative got lost recently when out driving. His wife contacted the police and within a short while he had been located driving towards London. It seems that number plate recognition was used to locate his car. What was to have been a short journey to the shops turned out to be an eight hour drive. When in London our relative was able to regain his bearings after recognising the Houses of Parliament. Eventually he returned home after a long, long drive.
His next birthday presents will be a sat-nav and a cell phone.
We may grumble about this ‘Big Brother’ society we now have but it is comforting to know that our safety is being monitored. Some may resent the fact that we are on constant surveillance but the ‘Powers that Be’ will only be interested in the small elements of society who are up to mischief. If the likes of insurance cheats and license dodgers have a precarious life and likely to come into line then perhaps our ludicrously high insurance charges may fall and more cash be made available to make our roads safer – rather than slower.