If in doubt, go without...

If in doubt, go without. That"s this year"s warning to motorists who can"t calculate their alcohol limit behind the wheel. The Govern-ment"s THINK! Campaign, launched last week by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling, is a sobering reminder that drink-drive deaths are on the increase. Drivers are being warned to be extra careful the day after a night out on account of extended licensing laws.

Cars will soon be able...

Cars will soon be able to understand up to 300,000 words after work to boost in-car speech recognition systems proved a success. The move will make driving easier and safer. Experts from electronics giant Siemens are completing elocution lessons for the technology so it can recognise a large number of voice commands instantly. Drivers will be able to give instructions such as: “Raise the front passenger window and lock the doors.” The first applications will be for sat-navs, where speaking will do away with tedious typing. “Dialogue is the key element of future speech recognition,” said a Siemens spokesman.