Current issues vary according to the areas of driving with which you are involved.

The most important issue that affects every single one of us, is undoubtedly the environmental question, including the need to make substantial improvements to public transport.

Individual motoring issues are influenced and determined by what type of driver or non-driver you are.

Beginning with the question most frequently asked by people approaching 17, there's an issue that the minimum age will be increased. This is most unlikely.

Driving Test candidates worry about how to control 'test nerves'... those taking their theory tests seem to have an issue about not having a good formula for remembering their stopping distances; practical test candidates have a greater issue with their reversing technique than with making the correct judgements of speed and distances in traffic.

Driving instructors usually have some doubts about the 'Check Test' issue when it is their turn to be supervised by the Driving Standards Agency. Day to day issues for instructors include concern about driving test availability and waiting times, along with test assessment issues and test centre locations. Driving examiners not only have continuing unresolved operational problems with their employers, but are also experiencing an increase in `Fail Rage' attacks from disgruntled candidates.

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The Ordinary Motorist
For the ordinary motorist, the issues include the cost of driving, particularly the price of fuel and insurance. Successive Treasury Departments have used the revenue collected from motor taxation to fund government spending in other areas. Approximately £36 billion is raised through motoring taxes, from this spending on roads and local transport is approximately £6 billion.

A potential issue affecting the liberty of the ordinary driver that has received far less attention, is the issue of SPECS and TrafficMaster systems being used for mass public surveillance.

Plans have been reported that camera technology can be incorporated within the reflective road studs that we know as the cat's eyes, to film speeding drivers. Standard traffic congestion monitoring camera systems may be adapted for use in detect illegally parked vehicles and those using bus lanes.

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Professional Issues
Local Authority Road Safety Officers keep a steady safe focus on three easy-to-measure road safety issues: Speed; drink-driving and the wearing of seat belts. The police consider themselves under-resourced and unable to enforce many traffic laws effectively. They feel forced into a reactive role of literally clearing up the mess after crashes. High standards of police driver training are diluted by cost efficiencies, then where casualties result from police pursuit chases, criticism of their techniques becomes headline news.

Professional drivers of taxis, buses and lorries have their various issues similar to those of every driver. When asked what issues concern them the first response concerns the standard of everybody else's driving ! Taxi and bus drivers and their passengers complain when cars park illegally in the bus/taxi lanes; large goods vehicle drivers, unable to legally pass the middle lane hoggers on the motorway explain their feelings using only the best in colourful industrial language.

Motorcyclists take a great deal of pride in their riding and their machines. They are a great fraternity of people who are not unwilling to help each other. Being less conspicuous, they are very well aware that car driver's do not look out for them. Riders have to keep a tab on their whole environment, including the potholes on unmaintained roads.

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