YOU printed two items about road safety on page three of the December 4 edition of the Evening Press.

Campaigners stated that roadside floral tributes should be controlled because of the risk of distraction to drivers. You noted in the Comment section that there is no evidence that this is the case.

Here we have a flawed campaign to solve a problem that has not been proven to exist.

In the second item, about the serious hit-and-run accident last year, the mother of the injured girl says her daughter now always makes sure the traffic has stopped and the green man is showing when crossing the road.

This simple statement illustrates what is wrong with road safety - most road users always assume someone else is going to behave responsibly and take care of their safety. Only when someone sustains an injury do they realise the part they have to play to ensure their own safety by verifying that a situation is safe before proceeding.

I learnt road safety more than 40 years ago and that was how we were taught. Look left, look right, look left again and if all clear cross the road.

Stephen von Bertele,

The Green,

Acomb, York.

Updated: 11:01 Thursday, December 11, 2003