Sir, - Hardly a day passes without tragic violent death and life-wrecking injury on our roads. Kevin Myers has written indignantly again and again about the factors which cause this mayhem. So have many of your correspondents.
On main roads (limit 60 m.p.h.) the driving is manic. To obey the law is soon to have a juggernaut within a couple of yards of one's stern trying to force one to do 70 m.p.h. or move on to the hard shoulder. This is terrorism. To go at 40 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. area followed by 30 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. area causes palpable irritation, if not road-rage, in the string of cars piling up behind anxious to whiz up to 80 or 90 m.p.h. as soon as possible. As for being passed on the double white lines up the hill to a corner - how many times has one prayed that no unwary driver will be coming the other way?
As for side roads - surely all should be restricted to 40 m.p.h. (which would save both lives and road-signs), unless specially marked to allow 50 m.p.h. on long safe stretches?
I am sceptical enough to believe that drivers will not go slower or drive better until there is a much, much greater chance of being caught. Gardai do what they can, but clearly haven't the resources to patrol roads adequately. Would it not be better to add a privatised corps of road wardens equipped with sophisticated speed and video recorders who would have the power to levy onthe-spot fines for the various offences (with the driver's option of going to court)? The fines would finance the wardens. Were this feasible, would there not be a dramatic difference? - Yours, etc.,
David Gibbs, Belmont, Cullahill, Co Laois.