LAST Wednesday, along with two other people from Blackburn, I attended Rossendale magistrates' court to give evidence in a case of driving without due care and attention committed on the Grane Road, Haslingden, some nine months previously.

The offence was committed in adverse weather conditions while I was driving from Haslingden towards Blackburn. My progress was impeded by a farm tractor and trailer holding up three other vehicles in front of me while travelling uphill, on bends controlled by a double white line in the centre of the road.

Checking my mirror, I saw a vehicle approach from behind and join our queue of slow-moving traffic. After a few yards, its driver decided to overtake, completely ignoring the white lines.

Without a shadow of a doubt, this manoeuvre caused a danger to all of us. My car contained my wife, daughter-in-law and my 18-months-old grandchild.

I took evasive action by giving him a continued horn warning and dropping back, thereby creating some distance between us. At court, the defendant turned up unrepresented, though he had had nine months to take legal advice. He sought advice from the duty solicitor and eventually pleaded guilty, so our attendance at court was not necessary. The magistrate fined him £100 with £50 court costs and endorsed his licence with three penalty points.

Assuming the vehicles travelling in front of me each contained just one person, they, I and my passengers totalled eight people. £100 divided by eight equates to £12.50 per person per element of danger.

Considering all the publicity run by your newspaper about accidents involving death and injury on this road and the circumstances which I have outlined, I can only conclude that the law is an ass.

Ironically, on the way to court, the Grane Road at Belthorn was closed due to an accident. We had to divert on to Haslingden Old Road. On our return on this road, the police were in attendance at an accident at the Britannia crossroads.

My sympathies go out to the relatives of the accident victims injured and killed on this road.

Retired Police Officer (name and address supplied).