Sir, - I write to support the views of Jude T. Lindsay (September 15th). My heart goes out to victims of all road traffic accidents, but to blame all accidents on speed is too simplistic by half. Yes, vehicles may have been speeding at the time of impact - indeed the drivers may have been careless, even dangerous - but the real cause relates to inadequate road networks and the ever increasing volume of traffic.
As a regular user of the N11 at busy periods I find myself travelling at 40 to 45 m.p.h. in convoy on what is a wide stretch of the so-called Euro-Route north of Arklow. Closer to the town, tailbacks of over 45 minutes are not unusual because of the slow progress on building the by-pass. A journey from Dublin to Wexford which took less than two hours 10 years ago can now take over three hours if you travel within the speed limit. It takes extraordinary patience and psychological gymnastics to prevent an outbreak of road rage.
Driving at 40 m.p.h. on a main national route is just not on and inevitably leads to the overtaking of several vehicles at a time and the consequent risk of collision with an on-coming vehicle.
Given the surge in road usage the answer is not speed traps, snail-like convoys and endless tailbacks on main roads but massive investment in the road network. The building of dual carriageways and motorways along the entire so-called Euro-Route is the only answer to these unacceptable and horrific road accidents. - Yours, etc., Eoin Ronayne,
Sandyford Hall Court,
Sandyford,
Dublin 18.