Shock! Horror! Jeremy Clarkson actually says something I agree with

Ok he's said stuff about cyclists that's utterly indefensible and may of influenced idiotic driver behaviour, however if you peruse this recent interview, Clarkson comes out with this absolute pearler:

The American motorist is the most aggressive creature on earth'
And then there's the politics. This car means you are aligning yourself with US policies. You're driving around saying you support the war in Iraq and the strategy in Afghanistan. Maybe you do. But I don't.

So I am now going to hell for posting this on a cycling blog? Dunno, one thing's sure as far as I'm concerned. We're all been rudely shoved into this geopolitical mess together, the Poms, Aussies & the 49% of Americans who didn't vote for Bush. So if one petrolhead comes out against neocon stupidity, I suppose it's could be read as simplistic, but potentially benefical. As for Clarkson's attitudes towards cyclists, you can take heart from the statement by Robert Hanks in The Independent, (12th June 2006)

Motorists: Cyclists are not another species - most of them drive cars at least some of the time - and they’re not, by and large, wilfully stupid or reckless. But they experience the roads differently from you … So be patient.

After all, it’s not as if getting rid of cyclists is a realistic option now - there are too many of them, and the numbers are growing all the time. And a few years down the line, as petrol gets more expensive, you might well end up as one of them yourself.