I DO hope Leo Enticknap will forgive me and indulge me somewhat, but I'm not an expert. However it seems to me that to argue that speed does not kill is a little naive.

May I offer an example? I take an engineer's hammer of about 2lbs mass/weight and gently let it fall on Leo's head. He should be OK, shouldn't he?

However, if I take the same hammer and bring it down very fast, (mass x speed), I have a good chance of killing him.

Let us apply the same experiment to a motor car of about 1.5 to 2 tons mass/weight. If I roll my car at walking speed into Leo, I may bruise his legs, even push him over.

The question is Leo, will you let me drive into you at 30mph or am I just being scientifically ignorant?

After all, I'm not a PhD nor a BSc, but I think I can understand that the faster you hit someone with a lump of metal, the better your chances of killing them.

W Elliott,

Kinbrace Road,

Hartlepool.

Updated: 11:10 Tuesday, June 14, 2005