‘Drive safely and within law’

I’M writing in to defend and agree with Dr Chris Burgess on his letter in last week’s Weekly News regarding the previous week’s letter by the husband of the wife who was caught speeding on Pentywyn Road. You’d think after 55 years she would have learned via experience to be a responsible driver and keep to the speed limit.

I totally disagree with Robert Pierce’s letter of last week about “negative attitude to police” that this will create. I’m sorry but 30mph means 30mph, 40mph means 40mph.

I have been on both ends of the arguments. I have been caught myself (doing 35mph in a 30 zone) and suffered the consequences. Sure I moaned about it at the time, but fair’s fair and I undertook the driving awareness course. I was the biggest over-mark at 5mph whereas out of the other 15 persons on the course they only went over by between 1 to 3mph.

Six years ago I was involved in a car accident where a 42 tonne truck hit me at 50mph whilst I was stationery. When you are inside the mangled remains of your car and you realise the front grille of the truck ended up a foot away from the back of your head it all comes to mind just how dangerous the roads are.

And don’t forget pedestrians! Imagine how they feel after being ploughed into by someone driving more than the speed limit! Albeit very rare does an accident come to haunt the driver if they’ve run someone over. Generally knowing they’ve killed someone will haunt them!

I’m extremely concerned by the amount of people who blatantly disregard one another and law, and how this has increased beyond all reasoning. I don’t know why people flout the law on roads – be it speeding, illegal parking, drink-driving or using their mobile phones – but it seems the police and authorities are powerless to stop this negative ignorant attitude that the apparent masses have in modern time.

I might put this to the husband and wife: If a member of your family was injured or killed on a road by a driver going over the speed limit, you’d soon be shouting and arguing that the police and local authorities aren’t doing enough to make the roads safer.

I urge all drivers to drive safely and within the law before you end up causing a serious fatality. Life is too short - don’t make someone else’s life shorter!

I fully support the sentiments expressed in the letter from Dr Chris Burgess in last week’s paper on the subject of speeding on Pentywyn Road.

I was amazed at the reckless tone of the original letter in the January 22 issue and that of Mr Pierce last week who both imply that the woman caught speeding was a law-abiding person.

Road safety experts are continually stressing that excessive speeding can mean the difference between injury and death to a child hit by a car. With this in mind it would seem to me that having been caught speeding twice the wife mentioned in the original letter is much more like a repeat offender than a law abiding-person.

Name and address supplied Dave Shipp Bryn Pydew

I have a question for Robert Pierce. What is law abiding about exceeding the speed limit? However many years the lady has been driving there is no excuse for speeding on a road with very clear signage.

Name and address supplied

After reading the comments of Dr Burgess, I propose that the whole of Pentywyn Road from Deganwy to Llanrhos should have a speed limit of 30mph.

This would save confusion and be fair to Robertsons, the motoring public and the police.

Robert Pierce Glan Conwy