I refer to the letter from H. M. Blud, writing on behalf of the Commissioner of Police (South China Morning Post, August 21). Had Mr Blud had the benefit of reading an earlier letter of mine which the Post did not publish, the content of his letter may have been different.
My letter mainly concerned the poor standard of driving by the police, particularly those in charge of the police 'minibuses' and motorcycles. The former often do not indicate their intentions, have poor lane discipline and do not know how to correctly negotiate roundabouts. The latter are also guilty of not indicating and consider it their right to disregard speed limits even when they are not giving chase. I suggest that the police take urgent action to put their own house in order.
Whilst Mr Blud's 'primary objectives of traffic policing' are laudable, I cannot agree that speeding is one of the main contributory factors to traffic accidents. Accidents are caused by poor driving habits and the lack of skill, which may include driving at an excessive speed for the conditions. Moreover, many speed traps are a waste of time, because when the taxis drive at or below the speed limit, everyone else does.
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