A WARNING to mothers: if you need to rush your child to hospital because he is choking on something, don't exceed the speed limit unless you are prepared to pay £60 plus £35 costs.

I have just read an example of this.

The mother's application to have the fine quashed was refused, the magistrates' view being that putting the child's life out of danger was no excuse for driving at 41mph.

They did, however, withdraw the three penalty points. What evidently mattered most was that they should hang on to the money.

It was the mother's bad luck that she did not live in Durham, where there are no speed cameras, but where the vehicle accident rate per thousand of the population is the lowest in the country.

T J LONGSTAFF, Gorse Road, Blackburn.