Then bureaucrats included four other categories of crash causes with exceeding the speed limit.

An example is the “road conditions” category where there is black ice, loose gravel or oil on the road surface.

The driver was not exceeding the speed limit yet crashed due the slippery road surface.

Another example is the “driver looked but did not see” category.

To most people that category should be included with driver inattention, not speeding.

The outcome of these manipulations was that NSW government bureaucrats now claim that “speeding” is the cause of more than 40 per cent of road fatalities – the only jurisdiction in the world to claim such an extraordinarily high percentage.

Motorists may wonder why these changes were made in the period when speed cameras were being introduced and new speed detection technology became available.

New laws were written so that a driver ticketed by a speed camera is proven guilty beyond doubt.

Then the government introduced a program of speed limits being reduced on almost every road.

Perhaps there was an ulterior motive?

Subsequently, university research in Australia proved that if every vehicle in Australia was fitted with an Intelligent Speed Adaption device so it could not exceed the posted speed limit, the maximum reduction in road fatalities would be 8 per cent.

That research was conducted by Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) and the report can be accessed at www.monash.edu/muarc/research/our-publications/muarc253.

Quoting from the report: “Based on the logged data, the ISA system by itself is expected to reduce the incidence of fatal crashes by up to 8 percent and serious injury crashes by up to 6 percent.”

This revealed the truth.

Next time you watch a television ad designed to justify the government’s speed revenue policy, ask yourself why the government focus is on eight per cent of causes of road fatalities instead of taking positive action on the 92 per cent of other causes of road fatalities such as inattention, fatigue and not obeying other road rules.

This is now the fourth year in succession where NSW road fatalities are higher than the previous year.

That is further proof that the government’s speed revenue policy is not an effective road safety strategy.

Allan Pryor, Figtree

I was astounded to see in Target’s current catalogue a new “doll” called Poopsie Slime Surprise. 

“Feed Poopsie the Unicorn, sit her on her glitter potty and watch her magically poop slime”.

Really? I find this quite peculiar.  We don’t let the kids play with their own faeces,  so why encourage them to play with “toy” faeces?

I am definitely showing my age.  Would someone younger please explain?

Barbara Sawtell, Oak Flats