Two by two

News that the Government intends to encourage car-sharing by setting aside special motorway lanes for car-sharers opens up exciting new possibilities. Late arrival at work or at home can be blamed on tardy drivers or passengers. Checking your car-partner's bona fides, we are told, could be done over a drink (the non-alcoholic kind). If American precedent is anything to go by, though, those who will be laughing loudest on their way to the bank will not be drivers halving their petrol costs, but producers of inflatable dolls for those who want to make faster progress and prefer their commuting companions mute.

News that the Government intends to encourage car-sharing by setting aside special motorway lanes for car-sharers opens up exciting new possibilities. Late arrival at work or at home can be blamed on tardy drivers or passengers. Checking your car-partner's bona fides, we are told, could be done over a drink (the non-alcoholic kind). If American precedent is anything to go by, though, those who will be laughing loudest on their way to the bank will not be drivers halving their petrol costs, but producers of inflatable dolls for those who want to make faster progress and prefer their commuting companions mute.