Speed claims are misleading

As usual, the police have been very economical with the truth about just how effective this campaign is likely to be. The reality is that relatively few accidents involve vehicles that are breaking the posted speed limit, far more involve a motorist driving in a manner that is unsuitable for the prevailing conditions BUT within the relevant speed limit. These people are obviously very difficult to identify and prosecute, which is presumeably why the police rarely make any attempt to do so, yet it is clear that a long-term programme of government-funded education and training is badly needed to improve safety on our roads. Inspector Grace’s latest campaign will certainly hit motorists’ pockets hard, and may even provide an illusion that the police are doing something useful with their time, but nobody should be misled into expecting any significant reduction in the number of road accidents.

Cliff Harrison, The Stream, Beckley, Nr Rye.