In support of Mr Warter's letter ('Purple peril, March 19) and in response to the article about the effectiveness of speed humps ('Dump the humps', March 21) it is interesting to read the latest Department for Transport publication called Road Casualties Great Britain 2003, Annual Report.

This documents that, on urban roads, pedestrians are almost four times more likely to be hit by a bus or coach than a car.

The same section claims pedestrians are eight times more likely to be hit by a bus or coach than a light goods vehicle (LGV, aka White Van Man) on urban roads.

Contrast this with another Department for Transport report called Vehicle Speeds In Great Britain: 2003 which identifies that LGVs are most likely to exceed the speed limit in 30 mph zones (61 per cent) while buses are the least likely to (32 per cent).

Actual accident and casualty data highlight that speed per se, and the risks that specific vehicle types pose to pedestrians, are in direct contrast with what conventional wisdom would have you believe.

However, road safety measures and vehicle prioritisation continue to be modelled on conventional wisdom rather than 'real world data.

Oliver Starzynski,

Murton Way, York.

Updated: 09:26 Thursday, March 24, 2005