Watch it!

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, a Wakefield inventor is busy with an electronically-governed petrol-feed, whereby the speed of a car can be controlled from a roadside transmitter. The inventor, Mr. Ronald Petch, says that if legislation made the fitting of his controller compulsory the Police would be able to check the speed of traffic with their roadside apparatus, even bringing it gradually to a stop. Mr. Petch is reported as saying that not only could his device be used to slow cars in fog-conditions on Motorways, but would enable the Police to regulate our pace at other times.

Apart from the hazards of having one’s speed reduced from an outside source, probably without warning, let us not forget that it was the development of radar by a famous French rally-driver which led to roadside radar speed-traps. Mr. Petch, by the way, generously informs motorists that to have their speed thus controlled by outside interference will only cost them £8 10s. each. We understand he is currently at work reducing exhaust pollution by 80% while giving us all an extra ten m.p.g. Let’s hope this keeps him too busy to submit his radar-governed fuel-feed to the MoE, as he threatens to do!—W. B.