Speederz

Just after I got the SLK I took it over to Germany, I found a nice long stretch of empty autobahn, and I took it up to 145mph which was absolutely amazing. After I did this I couldn't stop thinking about everything that could have gone wrong and the fact that it could have happened so quickly and that I could have done absolutely nothing about it. A tyre might have burst, a bird flown into my path, or I could have sneezed! Any one of these would have resulted in possible catastrophe. But hey, I was doing 145 and it was big fun - or was it.

Move on a few years and I have discovered a certain joy in actually sticking to the speed limit. I used to be like everyone else and think it was just fine to do 40 in a 30 limit and as fast as conditions would allow on a motorway, but no longer. Now that I'm a magistrate I definitely don't want to be caught speeding so I have no choice but to stick religiously to the limits, and you know what, I like it, I really like it.

Going to work now is no longer a mad dash along the M27 and M3, but is now a nice drive through Fair Oak and on to Hursley casually following the guy in front with the cruise set at 30. I can look around, see what's going on, and never need to have one eye constantly scanning for plod. I can enjoy the music and enjoy the car.

Today I had to drive up to Heathrow and had a nice easy 70mph drive up the M3, no stress, no problem. It was nice being able to spend the time not thinking about my next manoever, but thinking about all kinds of stuff, in fact whatever I felt like. One thing I kept drifting back to was concerning all the cars that were screaming past me in the outside lane. Why was it that the majority of them were small Renaults and Peugeots - could it be that those cars are so dreadful that they're only going fast in order to get their journeys over with as soon as possible? And all the repmobiles scrambling to get to their next sales conference or client, or whatever it is that reps do. And the mindless idiots in driving their vans that tailgate the car in front leaving a gap that can be measured in microns.

All I know is now that I've accepted this new way of driving I can get to where I'm going feeling relaxed, in a good mood, and ready for whatever lays in store, whereas before I just arrived stressed out.