So, after 19 years of driving, I've finally copped my first speeding offence.

On an open, uncongested section of the M4 near Cardiff, I was allegedly clocked doing 95mph. Lock me away and throw away the key, I'm clearly a menace to society.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some frothing-at-the-mouth opponent of speed cameras. Far from it: I actually think that, used properly, they can be a force for good. Stick them near schools and they'll get my vote every time. Erect those yellow boxes in residential areas and I'll nod sagely in agreement.

But on a motorway? When our speed limit is a laughable 70mph as it is? No, sorry, you've just lost me.

I know exactly what happened. I was on my way to Llandow Circuit near Cardiff. The weather was fabulous: it was a bright, sunny winter's morning. The visibility was excellent and the road was clear: there was nothing in front of me for some distance - well in excess of the stopping distance stipulated by the Highway Code - so I had plenty of time to brake if required.

What exactly was I doing wrong, apart from exceeding the speed limit? I certainly wasn't driving as dangerously as the half-dozen or so idiots I had encountered on my journey from London - the usual litany of tailgating, undertaking, indicator-less lunacy that we all encounter on the motorway on a regular basis.

And the biggest irony of all is that I'm currently having lessons with an (ex-police) advanced driving instructor and working on improving my driving skills, having just read Roadcraft, the police driving manual. In fact, I'm probably the safest I've ever been in a car.

So I'll take my punishment like a man, but I can't help thinking speed cameras are just the government's way of paying lip service to road safety. After all, speed only accounts for only 7-9% of accidents. Wouldn't improving driver education be a better way of reducing accidents?

Oh, but there's no obvious revenue stream there - and that's much more important than saving lives, isn't it?