Those of you who have read my previous posts covering my visit to Iran last October know that I really didn’t like the fast and furious driving or crossing the road as a pedestrian. Are they all red/green colour blind in this country? Non-adherence to red traffic lights gave me that impression and I sat in the back of a car just waiting for the crash.

Crossing the road still feels like I am on a suicide mission but the do-or-die urgency has abated . Four months on and the driving is still not great but I feel much more comfortable and I’ve found out why. In those four short months petrol prices in Iran have increased 7-(seven) fold; A huge increase by any standards. As a result there are far fewer cars on the road and people are driving at slower speeds to be more economical with the fuel they do have. That may not be good news for residents and I sympathise but it makes my stay here far less stressful.

All we need now is a cold snap to encourage the wearing of motorcycle helmets!