Letter: On four wheels or two, road safety will only come with mutual respect

If A Cyclist is foolish enough to go through a red light (I would suggest this is the exception, not the norm) and is in collision with a motorist with right of way, the "victim", the driver, would be unlucky if he sustained bruises, whilst the cyclist wouldlikely face a spell in hospital ("On their bikes, on your nerves?", 6 October). If, on the other hand, a motorist is travelling at 40mph in a built-up area (the norm) and is in collision with a pedestrian, the victim will probably be killed. Again, the motorist will be unlucky if he sustains minor injuries. Who's the bigger villain?

On average, 10 people are killed each day on British roads. The majority of these incidents are speed-related. Despite this, most motorists consider speed limits to be something that you probably shouldn't exceed by more than 10 or 15 mph, even in built-up areas where children frequently play. These motorists are the first to start screaming when a cyclist takes a calculated risk concerning his own life and anticipates a red light changing to green. Hypocrite seems rather a mild word for such motorists.

David Cosgrove

Macclesfield, Cheshire