Sir, - I find David Healy's sarcastic contribution to this debate (September 4th) to be most unhelpful. He ridicules the valid points made by other correspondents and attempts to portray their objection to a particular form of dangerous driving as a blanket approval of excessive speed.
All road users - pedestrians, cyclists and drivers - have a duty to behave in a manner which poses no danger to others. None of us has an exclusive right to the road. We all have to be aware of how our actions affect our fellow road users.
The current focus of the authorities seems to be on speeding alone. The many other factors which contribute to the problem seem to be ignored.
One night recently, while travelling on the Limerick-Tipperary road, I was blinded by the glare of the foglights of an oncoming driver. When I could see the road again I was faced with a cyclist, with no lights on his bike, riding in the middle of the carriageway. If I had not been able to stop in time would David Healy have attributed the accident to the fact that I was travelling too fast (55 m.p.h. on a main road with a hard shoulder)?
The lack of consideration for other road users is the real problem that needs to be addressed. This can manifest itself in a number of ways. The principal problems I see daily are:
Driving too quickly; Driving too slowly; Driving without lights in bad weather, or at dusk; Blinding oncoming drivers with fog lights when there is no fog; Parking in dangerous places or in a manner that obstructs other road users; Stopping in box junctions when the exit is blocked; Failing to keep in to the left so that other traffic can overtake safely.
All such problems are addressed in other countries. In Ireland we address only one. - Yours, etc.,
S.P. Nangle,
Inistioge, Co Kilkenny.