I do not believe that reducing the speed limit will have any great effect on the number of casualties, as those that speed now will still do so with a lower limit.

In fact it will probably mean that more people speed if the limit is lower. It is also true that speeding is not the cause of the majority of crashes, rather it is driving too fast for the conditions.

Last week I wrote that speed in itself need not be a problem on a dual carriageway as you can see a long way ahead. However on a road such as the Fosse, speed will be a problem if you do not treat the road with respect.

The very nature of the Fosse is almost its own worst enemy - a traditional route improved by the Romans and relatively straight; it is too tempting for some people to put their foot down.

As I said, this does not mean they are all speeding, but that they become less aware of the hazards they face. I have said several times that there are bends that suddenly get sharper when you are halfway round them and the faster you are going, the quicker you need to react.

There are also areas of 'dead ground', where you may be able to see far into the distance, but the road in the middle distance is obscured by hedges, trees or even hidden dips in the road.

These blind areas can hide other vehicles coming the other way, or slower vehicles in front of you. This dead ground can be even more of a problem if you are coming out of a junction.

If you cannot see very far down the road, you will need to be extra careful before moving out, and when you do, you will need to get away quickly in case something comes up behind you. For those on the main road, look out for signs of turnings and anticipate that there may be someone emerging.

Crashes are usually caused by lack of anticipation or people thinking their skills are better than they actually are. This could be young drivers who have recently passed and the success goes to their head or they are not aware of their own limitations.

The other group of people who are often involved in crashes are those who are older but again are not aware of their limitations or those of the vehicle when they try to 'put it through its paces'.

On all rural roads you must be flexible with your speed. There will be places where it is quite safe to drive at the speed limit, but there will also be places where it would be madness to drive anywhere near it, for the very reason that you cannot see that the road ahead is clear and sometimes you cannot even see the road ahead.

The road is not a problem, the vehicles are not a problem, lack of signs is not a problem. The problem is always with the drivers!

There are, of course, all too often innocent victims involved in crashes, either as passengers or in other vehicles. Just imagine that in every dip or around every bend there will be a large, slow-moving tractor or even a horse rider, cyclist or pedestrian.