Speeding fears

Published: 10:21 AM July 9, 2009 Updated: 2:40 PM November 1, 2020

SIR - I am sure I m not alone in getting increasingly worried about the speed at which people drive along some of our local roads. It has got so bad that I don t always feel safe when I m in a car – let alone as a pedestrian – particularly on our rural ro

SIR - I am sure I'm not alone in getting increasingly worried about the speed at which people drive along some of our local roads. It has got so bad that I don't always feel safe when I'm in a car - let alone as a pedestrian - particularly on our rural roads.

In fact, figures show that almost two-thirds of deaths are now on these rural roads, while cycling on them is three times more dangerous than in urban areas. Out of 24 OECD countries, we have slipped to fifth on road deaths overall and shockingly are 17th in terms of child pedestrian deaths.

Recently, I noticed the Government is asking for people's opinions on how it can make our roads the safest in the world. I think this must include making people feel safe using our roads without having to be protected by a metal chassis, so I decided to send in a letter. And I'd like to urge all your readers to do the same. The Campaign to Protect Rural England has a draft letter on its website that you can use: www.cpre.org.uk.

Please write - we all need to do our bit to put a stop to these harrowing statistics and encourage the Government to take positive action.