Sir: Leonard Cottrell's inability (Letters, 8 Decem- ber) to complete
his twenty-eighth book because he is no longer allowed to indulge his craving to stamp on 250 horse power after three double whiskies and a good lunch with a bottle, of wine fills me with a sense of deep relief and of gratitude to Mrs Castle. If he says to the Minister one day and proceeds to break the law thus endanger- ing others as well as himself, I hope they throw the book at him. He evidently fails to appreciate that deliberately speeding immediately jeopardises all those other law-abiding motorists crawling along at 70 m.p.h. confident that no damn fool is going to overtake at 50 m.p.h. faster.
The longer the period that a driver can boast a clean licence the more suspect he becomes. Mr Cottrell has had thirty-seven years and God knOws how much liquor to improve his reflexes. Since his mind is defeated by elementary mathematics, I would beg to remind him that the odds in his favour have diminished sharply—as they must for all those who seek refuge in their records.
It is the arrogance, often unconscious, of those who maintain they can drive perfectly after drink- ing, thank you, and of those who say '1 can handle icy roads, old•boy' or 'I'm perfectly safe at speed, it's the dawdlers who are the danger' which is one of the most terrifying aspects of modern driving. Bernard Palmer 58 Oxford Gardens, London W10
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