But while I believe...

But while I believe their intentions are honourable, I wasn"t so impressed with their method of protest. Didn"t anybody tell these keen-but-naive activists that by aimlessly driving around the motorway network in circles in work time they had to purchase even more fuel than normal, thereby giving the Chancellor more money? Also, they gave up a valuable weekday, which might have been better spent earning a few quid.

What was most frustrating to me was that they created additional congestion, pollution and fuel wastage as they intentionally formed their anarchic jams, which I bet the Government barely noticed anyway. Instead, it will have been ordinary drivers who suffered - people also reeling from the high cost of fuel. Honestly, don"t we have enough natural and politically inspired traffic chaos without deliberately and possibly even dangerously creating more of the same?

Yes, you did read that right. I really do believe that the slug-like fuel protesters may have put the safety of other road users in jeopardy. Why do I think this? Well, for years I have argued that slow-moving vehicles are capable of causing as many if not more shunts as motors marginally exceeding the often inappropriately low national speed limit. Anyone who has ever nearly tripped over a poorly lit tractor, milk float or JCB on a naturally fast A-road or a sluggish HGV on a motorway knows that these mobile chicanes not only cause jams, but could be lethal accidents waiting to happen.

In my opinion, the only good thing that came out of the 16 September M4 fuel protest was that the police took the long overdue step of formally warning drivers that they must not, under any circumstances, travel too slowly. It"s about time! Traffic cops should implement this rule more often, with more enthusiasm and to more drivers, regardless of the vehicles that they are in or on.

The word is that in line with Section 12 of the Public Order Act 1986, the M4 fuel protesters were told they must stick to lane one and travel at a minimum of 40mph. But I believe that 55mph is a more reasonable minimum on motorways. If your truck is too old or heavy to attain such a speed, then bad luck... take an alternative, non-motorway route instead. And if you are a car driver who doesn"t happen to feel comfortable or confident doing 55mph, then you should do the same.