'Driving Home for Christmas' mandatory on all car journeys in December

Here’s TopGear.com’s roving correspondent, Cory Spondent, with his mostly incorrect exclusives from the world of motoring

Singing along to the Chris Rea classic Driving Home for Christmas is to become mandatory on all car journeys in the month of December, it has been confirmed.

Safety campaigners believe it will combat road rage, and therefore reduce the high accident and casualty rate often seen at this time of year. Sources also point out that it’s ‘an absolute banger’.

Meanwhile, some experts believe that merrily shouting ‘I’m driving home for Christmas!’ could help ease congestion, preventing road users from being sat top to toe in tailbacks for hours on end.

As such, all four minutes of the track - first released in 1986 - will be embedded into the touchscreens of all new cars, so drivers have access to it even if the signal drops out.

Drivers will also have the option of having the lyrics presented to them karaoke-style, as less than five per cent of the population are thought to be capable of muttering more than just the chorus.

Chris Rea - a famed petrolhead and so far the only artist in history to use a Caterham Seven as the basis for an album cover - is thought to be delighted with the news.

A spokesperson for the 72-year-old said he would be using the royalties from the song to fund a full-time F1 drive alongside Lance Stroll at Aston Martin in 2024.