I recently returned from my first visit to the USA, which included driving about 1,000 miles around New England.

I was impressed with how much safer driving appeared to be there than here.

I had expected the lower speed limits, a maximum of 55mph except on some multi-lane highways where it is 65mph, to be frustrating. The opposite proved to be the case.

Speed limits were generally observed and people seemed quite content to drive within them. There were frequent signs requiring lower speeds at the start of bends or approaching hazards, often reducing to 20 or 25mph.

Traffic moved at a sensible speed, spaced well apart, without the impatience shown by so many drivers here who seem so desperate to travel as fast as possible, they cause 'bunching' and then take risks overtaking. In America we drove for hours without either overtaking or being overtaken and the experience was stress-free.

When a school bus is stopped to pick up or drop off passengers it is illegal to overtake or even pass it in the opposite direction! Just a few seconds delay for other road users, but how many lives would a law like this save in Britain?

Richard Parkin,

Malborough Grove,

Fishergate,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.