THE dignified widow of Aidan Walsh said 'I wouldn't wish this on anyone' when lorry driver James Giles told her, in court, that he wished he'd died instead in the fatal crash he caused on the M5.

We only hope they take some measure of comfort in knowing that the man responsible for his death has been brought to justice. It was also plain to see in court not only the anguish of Mr Walsh's family but the deep pain of James Giles, who had a prolonged lapse of concentration with catastrophic consequences.

There can be few deeper expressions of remorse than the one he made - he expressed directly to the family his wish that he had died instead of Mr Walsh.

Giles was on his hands free phone at the time of the crash. It is easy to be critical but how many of us, if we're honest, have let our concentration wander at the wheel? It's also easy to blame the perils and pitfalls of technology like smartphones.

But the M5 matrix signs are an example of tech that is there to help us, possibly save our lives. A great through not always popular innovation, the signs prove technology can also be the nearest thing we have to a guardian angel.