Madam, - As I write, 39 days of 2006 have passed and 50 people are dead on our roads. By the time you read this, this figure will almost certainly have increased. As a regular user of the road between Dublin and Galway, I feel compelled to speak out against the lunacy that I witness regularly
I have been forced off the road while driving at 100kph, seemingly for driving too slowly. Kamikaze overtaking - on bends, hills and narrow roads - is commonplace. I witness near misses on every trip. There are regular bouts of "drag-overtaking" - a phrase I've coined myself: this involves three or more cars closely following each other and overtaking in a group, trying to outdo each other to see how fast they can go. I flash my lights at oncoming drivers on the wrong side of the road who get too close for my comfort and in return I receive lots of gestures - the finger, brandishing of fists, signs for slitting your throat, etc - you get the picture.
No amount of legislation, penalty points, or speed cameras are going to halt the spiralling death toll. Aggressive attitudes have to change and people must realise that cars aren't killing people - people are killing people. I'm 31. I don't want to die yet. I have far too much to live for. We all must take responsibility for our behaviour on the road, so let's stop the insanity. If we don't, any one of us could be next. - Yours, etc,
AUDREY McCORMACK, Mountbellew Rise, Lucan, Co Dublin.
Madam, - After reading about the NRA's survey on motorist's attitudes to rural speed limits (February 8th), I cannot help wondering why the authority needed to go to the expense or trouble. After all, if they only looked at Ceefax on most weekend mornings or read The Irish Times on Monday they would see when most fatalities happen and where.
I can hope they will now use the information to persuade the Garda authorities to use their resources at the relevant times and places, instead of the usual soft targets such like the Stillorgan dual-carriageway, where thankfully there are very few serious accidents. - Yours, etc,
JOE HARVEY, Glenageary, Co Dublin.