Madam, - On paper, John Mallon's suggestion (August 17th) to fit speed limiters to motor vehicles seems a reasonable one. However, it is not without its problems.
I was driving a rented car in the United States last week. Like everybody else on the road, I was driving at a few miles an hour over the posted limit. I had left a clear distance in front, as safe driving requires, though I was being tailgated by another driver. Suddenly, without warning, a truck swerved directly in front of me at a slow speed.
The only thing I could think of in the split second involved was to rapidly change lanes myself. This necessitated rapid acceleration to avoid being hit by the vehicle I was moving in front of, and a brief burst well above the speed limit. Had I remained in my current lane and applied the brakes, the person behind would have hit me, pushing me into the truck. Like it or not, restricting vehicle's potential speed will cause accidents. -Yours, etc,
RICHARD BANNISTER, Pembroke Square, Dublin 4.