It's simple, cars are fun. Driving fast is enjoyable. If a poor Liverpool boy can't afford a car he steals one. Simple realy

Ever seen "Need For Speed" on the Playstation? Or any other car type game?

It could almost be sponsored by the various car companies, and the images that are seen by the kids are of cars that can pretty much do anything, roll over and then carry on driving. No one is saying they accept this as reality, but this is marketing.

Car manufacturers employ people. The parts industry is huge. The government gets paid tax from manufacturing, maintenance and fuel. There really is no (financial) incentive for them to get car companies to switch to cleaner, greener transport. How can you persuade car companies, reliant on their parts industry, to switch to electic or hybrid vehicles with less wear and tear on parts?

But no one can sell the idea of petrol driven vehicles in traffic jams, with drivers and passengers absorbing concentrated amounts of pollutants in their steel boxes. Instead the marketing at the young concentrates on speed and image, while the adult adverts try to make us laugh or sell a concept of freedom that doesn't exist on Britain's roads.

Our local kids' antics are not unique, but a symptom of a much bigger disease which is our continued obsession with the motor vehicle. One small step would be to actually make sure we get a tram system (with road priority) developed as soon as possible in Liverpool but right now the council seems to be screwing this right up.