Arguments in the car can be incredibly annoying. And I’m sure that it anyone claimed they never had one, would be a bit of a lie. Some motorists can be inconsiderate and be bullies on the road. They miss the point that everybody is entitled to be there. After the frenzy, you are left thinking: was it really worth it?

Experiencing a mental health problem, whether it be a bout or ongoing, is daunting and lonely in itself. The worry that it may also take away independence and freedoms on top of that is of no greater comfort. However the issue of driving and mental health is one that we do need to discuss. Not least, because, like so many other aspects of mental health, it is an issue that is overlooked. For the interests of both road safety and personal wellbeing, it cannot afford to be. More of us need to be aware of the risks as well as our rights on the road, and with today being World Mental Health Day, there’s no better time for us to start.

I recently signed off IAM RoadSmart’s response to the government’s Pathway to driverless cars consultation. The topic was discussed amongst our experts and we also ran a web poll among our members to gauge their opinions on the debate. The interest was high with almost 1200 responses

As a journalist I’ve worked closely with the IAM – now IAM RoadSmart - for decades. It started 30 years ago when I proudly won my Advanced Driver certificate. Since then I’ve been chosen for the organisation’s ‘Road Safety Writer of the Year’ award twice. I care deeply about road safety and the IAM RoadSmart has helped me research many articles on the subject for newspapers and magazines.

Some comments received after the recent edition of RoadSmart magazine got me thinking about automatic systems fitted to our vehicles and how reliant upon them we can allow ourselves to become.