The number of women convicted of speeding has increased by almost a quarter in five years, according to the latest Home Office statistics.

While the number of men found guilty of speeding has fallen, the number of women has risen by 24% from 20,075 in 1998 to 24,920 in 2003 (the latest figures available). The number of men convicted of speeding declined by 14% to 115,078.

“I think this is largely down to speed cameras,” said Andrew Howard, head of road safety for the AA Motoring Trust. “When speeding tickets were only given out by police officers I suspect you were more likely to get told off if you were a woman and more likely to get a court summons if you were a man. But cameras can’t discriminate.”

Women are also driving more aggressively than they used to, with more female drivers admitting to using bad language, rude gestures and cutting up other road users, according to recent studies in America and Japan.

Research by the AA trust last week revealed that nine times as many speed tickets were issued in 2003 compared with 1973. If the rise in the number of vehicles and longer mileages are taken into account, a UK driver is about four times as likely to get a speeding ticket today as in 1973.

According to guidelines issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers, for drivers to be issued with a court summons rather than a fixed penalty they should usually have been travelling at more than 50mph in a 30mph zone, more than 66mph in a 40mph limit, more than 76mph in a 50mph limit, more than 86mph in a 60mph limit and more than 96mph where the limit is 70mph.

Men are still almost five times more likely to be convicted of speeding than women and are responsible for 88% of all serious driving-related convictions, down just one percentage point since 1998.

Micro Mitsubishi is set for Britain

A new urban mini-car that is smaller and nippier than a Smart will be launched in Britain next year by Mitsubishi. The four-seater “i car” is just over 11ft long and just under 5ft wide and should be in the showrooms by May.

Mitsubishi unveiled its rival to the struggling Smart at the Tokyo Motor Show last month. It hopes to use the British market to gauge customer interest before launching the car, pictured right, across Europe. Showrooms will offer just one top-spec model with a list price between £8,500 and £9,000.

Other, lower priced models could follow. An electric-powered version is being developed and is set to be the first mass-produced electric car from a mainstream manufacturer. The electric i city car will be launched in Japan in 2010 offering a much greater range than current electric vehicles such as the Reva G-Wiz, which is built in India and distributed in Britain by Goingreen and can travel only about 40 miles between recharges.

“We are looking at bringing in maybe 500 petrol-powered i cars at first,” said Gabi Whitfield, head of public relations for Mitsubishi in the UK. “That could rise to 2,000 if it takes off. Dealer feedback has so far been very positive.

“This car is something completely different for us. A lot of people are saying it is what the Smart ForFour should have been. It is a proper four-seater and it has storage. It could really catch on.”

Apache seeks Jeremy’s scalp

Fresh from his recent adventure in Iraq for The Sunday Times, where he dodged rocket and mortar attacks by insurgents, Jeremy Clarkson is back in Britain — and preparing to be shot at by an Apache helicopter gunship.

As final preparations for the MPH 05 car show got under way last week, Clarkson said: “It’s not as scary as Iraq but being chased by an Apache when there’s nowhere to run to certainly concentrates the mind.”

MPH 05 is a live-action show that features many of the latest supercars. The highlight is a 75-minute theatre production involving a variety of stunts, such as the Apache chase, hosted by Clarkson, below, his Top Gear colleague Richard Hammond and Tiff Needell.

Other attractions include the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and the chance to see the new Jaguar XK driven in public for the first time, together with some of the world’s rarest cars.

This year’s show is the first to go on tour. It opened last week in Birmingham at the National Exhibition Centre and comes to London’s Earls Court on Thursday, ending on Sunday.