World of motoring woes and some suggested solutions

I REFER to the letter from S B Oliver (Yorkshire Post, January 5), providing assurances, to an earlier correspondent, regarding the maintenance and use of vehicle’s obligatory lights during the winter months, not being confined to the region of East Yorkshire.

While I agree with the majority of the writer’s comments, it is rather mischievous of him to suggest “the winter months should be a fines gold mine for police traffic officers on any busy main road”.

Is the writer not aware that the very nature of a light bulb filament is such that component failure can easily occur with the flick of an operating control switch, or indeed during a journey?

I am aware that some vehicle manufacturers have in-built dash panel warning lights to alert the driver to such a bulb failure, but not all vehicles have this facility. It would, therefore, be morally inappropriate to place all drivers who experience a lighting failure in the catch-all fines category, as suggested by the writer in this instance.

From: Martin Heathcote, Exley Lane, Elland, Halifax.

THANK God, I thought it was only me. Regarding your letters about drivers using inadequate or defective lights and tailgating, I have driven for more than 40 years.

I drive within the speed limits – you know those nicely painted signs at the side of the road that tell us the speed limit… 30 does not mean minutes to go before you arrive at your destination or there are 30 days in this month or even there are 30 cars in front of you in that infuriating queue.

So if you are impatiently following my little blue car and I suddenly put my foot on the brake, it’s not because there is an obstacle in my path or that a spaceship has landed on the carriageway, it’s because I am subtly trying to tell you to back off my tail. Any closer and I could hear your dangerously over-beating heart.

To quote Michael Winner: “Calm down dear.” We all want to get home safe to watch Emmerdale.

From: Bob Wright, The Wright Wine Company, The Old Smithy, Raikes Road, Skipton.

HAVING read recent correspondence regarding poor management of lighting while driving, may I add my thoughts?

Banning driving with just side lights? Nonsense. Driving with dipped headlights through built-up areas, and particularly in nose-to-tail traffic, should be banned.

The addition of high braking lights may well have seemed a good idea to “see through the car in front” that the car in front is braking but now all we have is constant red in your face and white headlights approaching.

Why do people insist on rear fog lights when in a queue of traffic? It may well be foggy but if the car behind knows you are there, turn them off. The same goes for motorway driving, if it is obvious you are there, why pollute and dazzle with your rear fogs?

From: Robert E Collins, High Ash Crescent, Leeds.

after more than 50 years driving in this country, I have recently purchased a sat-nav, despite the fact that I have always planned my own routes using an up-to-date road map (Yorkshire Post, January 6).

Apart from the difficulties of changes in roads and motorway exits, the main reason for this decision is that more and more junction signs on non-motorways are obscured by foliage.

Not infrequently, road signs are on the wrong side of the road or missing altogether. The stress caused lessens the enjoyment of the trip for all concerned. The need for sat-navs for me would be much less if only road signs were properly placed and maintained, and sight lines kept clear.

From: Paul Morley, Ribblesdale Estate, Long Preston, Skipton.

A MAN has been jailed for four-and-a-half years in North Yorkshire for causing the death of another motorist by “reckless overtaking while relying heavily on his sat-nav in bad weather”.

He has also been banned from driving for five years. Why only five years?

Never mind a five-year ban, anybody who does anything preventable and stupid because they were following the directions of a sat-nav should be banned for life and never, ever be allowed behind the wheel of any form of transport again.