WE seem to be getting the message over mixing drinking and driving - but will we ever shake-off our motoring obsession with speed in an increasingly hectic world?

A perfect example has to be the way in which a section of the A6 road near Blackrod has become a notorious accident blackspot, with one crash a week occurring there.

Now a 17-year battle to get speed restrictions imposed has paid off and the current 60 mph limit is set to be reduced to 40mph.

The move is a timely reminder to give road safety a real priority this Christmas - and to make some really positive New Year resolutions about the way we drive.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.