I write regarding your article in the Daily Echo, (22/11/14 “Danger Road Petition”), mainly to express my opinion that there are no such things as “Dangerous Roads”.

Therefore I do not see the necessity for a petition of any description.

With the hostile criticism having been levelled at some local roads, particularly the A31, A35 and as in your article the A338, the irrefutable fact that is never mentioned, is that trees and lamp posts are never found in the middle of the carriageway. Incidents involving these static elements usually occur because the driver is not on the road.

Incidents involving collisions between two or more vehicles usually occur because one or other driver is not where they should be.

The common denominator is however the dreadful standard of driving on the roads in this country, as these events are not peculiar to our local area. Incidents occur, (as the authorities do not like to call them accidents) because of these poor standards leading to dreadful decision making on the road whilst overtaking, pulling out of side roads, bad speed judgement and quite often crass stupidity.

I will smugly state that I have been a qualified driver since 1971 and have driven all these roads on two wheels as well as four on a fairly regular basis, for both business and pleasure, and never been even closely involved in any incident. You may suggest I have been lucky, but I would suggest I have driven these roads (and others) in a responsible and sensible fashion along the lines of how I was taught. I admit I may have also been quite lucky to avoid contact with another driver who is ready to spoil my day.

There are however “accidents” due to a driver having serious medical problems such as heart attacks whilst driving, but these are fairly rare, and something that cannot be foreseen or allowed for.

Rather than raise a petition for safer roads, it would make more sense to raise a local/national petition for the improvement of driving standards and attitudes to driving. We are all taught to temper our driving with regard to road conditions. You can be safe in all these conditions if you drive sensibly. Offences such as using mobiles at the wheel and other reckless behaviour must reflect a much higher penalty tariff to dissuade poor driving practices.

Therefore I will refuse to sign any petition as I firmly believe that careless driving is predominantly the cause, drivers must take individual responsibility for their actions and realise they are in charge of a machine that is as capable of killing people as a gun.

D Foster, Copythorne Close, Bournemouth