I don’t need to be warned that my ‘bleeping’ Mazda3 is unlocked, locked or that I’m walking away from the keyless ignition system with the fob in my trouser pocket.

No, in fact, I’m old enough to know that if I leave a car with a key in the ignition it’s likely to be nicked. And I’m not stupid enough to leave the Mazda unlocked if I’m not driving it.

So why does the 3 beep every time I press the key fob, or when I get out of the driver door with the key in my hand? This morning the alarm went off after I left the dog in the car and walked away.

What if I was at a filling station and wanted to walk in and pay, leaving a passenger in the car – would the alarm sound then?

So, come on Mazda, I know a lot of your customers are American and your US dealers live in a constant state of public liability insurance hell, but let’s get rid of the beeping car nonsense. We’re a bit too grown up for that on this side of the Atlantic…