Madam, - "Seven people die on Irish roads over the weekend." Such headlines make sad reading.
In spite of the almost daily media coverage of road abusers, penalty points, seat belts and fatalities, traffic enforcement appears to be cynically directed into a revenue gathering exercise while the drunken road-hogs and the drugged speed merchants blatantly roam the highways dispensing havoc and death.
Traffic police lurking at gateposts and hiding at underpasses to harass the conservative motorist is not traffic control. A static police presence at gridlock or at crawling tailbacks is not traffic control.
Traffic control is the judicious and continuous enforcement of the law along main and secondary highways where accidents will be curtailed and fatalities reduced. As of now, our traffic police are out of touch. Instead of raising money, they should be out there saving lives. - Yours, etc.,
PATRICK STACK, (Former traffic director, Johore, Malaya), Kilcroney, Co Wicklow.