I got my provisional licence and had lessons, but never took my test. I am just too nervous. My first lesson and some guy in a huge white van came screaming out of a side road, no signal and nearly hit us. If he had then my driving insturctors little car would have been totalled and both of us probably killed or seriously injured. That rather knocked my confidence. The annoying thing was that I was doing OK up until that point, going at the speed limit, getting the hang of checking my mirrors etc.
Serves me right for learning to drive in Essex I guess!
I have NO tolerence for people who speed, my friends father was killed by someone speeding. On a moterway on a clear, dry day when the rest of the traffic is doing 90ish then yes doing 80 rather than 70 is probably safer, but anything more is seriously stupid.
People forget that statistically cars are more dangerous than guns.