IHAVE watched with growing concern the increasing efforts to use emotion to justify the current obsession with road speeds.

Any accident is a tragedy no matter the cause and to focus on one element to the virtual exclusion of all others is at best counterproductive and at worst downright dangerous.

Yes, speed will be a factor in some accidents, but I believe a far greater cause of accidents involving pedestrians is a lack of awareness.

A safe driver is not continually monitoring his instruments like an airline pilot, as, unlike the pilot, he is driving in an urban environment and subject to continual input from other road-users, whether pedestrian or motorised.

While it is impossible to avoid all accidents, being aware of the actions of other road users, and particularly pedestrians, can very often lead to action being taken to prevent a situation becoming a potential accident.

I am not a deliberate speeder but am concerned that the continual monitoring of my speedometer required to remain within the speed limit is having a detrimental effect on my awareness.

This concern has been further reinforced by two recent sets of figures released by the Government covering areas where the current camera campaign was originally introduced.

In both instances, despite a huge increase in convictions for speeding, both the number of injuries and the number of deaths had increased.

Yes, speed can be a killer, but I believe that the current obsession may very well prove to cause more distress than the driver occasionally straying over the speed limit but driving with an awareness of his fellow road-users.

STEPHEN SADLER, Valley Drive, Padiham.