Driving through leafy Cheshire yesterday I came up behind a battered hatchback with two signs in the rear window. The first proclaimed “Little Princess on board” and the second “Grandparent Driving!” with a cartoon drawing of a car complete with zig-zag skid marks, presumably because that’s the way grandparents drive, although I think it’s a rather unfair presumption.

Anyway, not wishing to stay behind an erratically driven vehicle I overtook it and instead of a doddery octogenarian I noticed that the car was driven by a grossly overweight younger woman who I suppose could quite possibly have been the grandparent of the “Little Princess” although it was difficult to tell without getting closer and I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to do that! There was no sign of a little person, “Princess” or otherwise, though perhaps she’d fallen to the floor as a result of her grandmother’s erratic driving.

The point I’m coming to, rather belatedly I have to admit, is why on earth people insist on displaying these inane stickers in the backs of their cars. There are so many on show these days (mostly in battered hatchbacks it seems to me!) with a variety of slogans such as “Little Cupcake on Board”, “Baby on board” or “Little Chelsea fan on board”. Why do they put them there? Are we expected to alter our driving in the presence of a “Princess” or “Cupcake”? Are we supposed to pull back an extra ten yards so that the overweight half-wit driving her hatchback can hog the road like she hogs her double burger and chips?

I’m pleased for any proud parent, I really am, since parenthood is undoubtedly one of the great joys of life, and I wish them all the luck in the world. Honestly though, can they not just keep it to themselves or at least to their family and friends because, as far as the rest of us are concerned, we really couldn’t give a damn who is in their car whether it be a princess, a cocker spaniel or a Benedictine monk!