Driver error

Desperately sad though the loss of Neil and Sarah Armstrong’s child on SH75 is (Letters, Nov 30), unfortunately they are naive if they believe that it is speed as such that causes harm.

The table of causes of death to which they refer will show that driving error is the main cause, with the outcome of that error determined by the speed, whether above the limit or not. Few crashes on this road occur above 100km/h.

Furthermore, laws are only observed when those constrained by them agree that the law makes sense, and no thinking driver would find any reason to suggest that the current open road limit between Halswell and Little River is higher than it should be.

To declare that it is not necessary to overtake a caravan travelling at the new 80km/h limit is irrelevant; drivers will be frustrated at a seemingly arbitrary limit that makes no sense, and will still pass slower vehicles.

Dave Britten, Prebbleton (abridged)