Tory spokesman David Gold (Letters, March 6) again seeks to promote the dangerous belief that many safety cameras have been put on our roads as an easy way to raise cash from "law abiding" motorists for the Treasury.

The Conservatives were criticised last month by the Slower Speeds Initiative for making speeding and road safety a political football and Mr Gold is again trying to win votes from motorists by peddling this "Labour are anti-car" message.

He is wrong. A survey this week found that all safety cameras are in the right places, places where cutting speed saves lives.

According to the Sussex Safety Camera Partnership, between October 2002 and September 2003 the number of road crashes in Sussex where someone was killed or injured was reduced by 50 per cent following an increase in the number of cameras.

Speed was reduced by 10 per cent in 30mph zones and 15 per cent in 40mph zones. Nationally a study by University College London for the same period showed a 56 per cent reduction in the number of pedestrian casualties.

As being hit by a car is the number one cause of death in children between the ages of eight and 16, surely this can only be a good thing?

Nationally less than 10 per cent of the money raised from safety camera fines goes to the Treasury. The vast majority is spent on more cameras, which slow down more drivers, which save more lives. By 2005 the amount going to the Treasury will have reduced even further.

Speed limits are there for a reason. Travelling too fast causes injury and death. Breaking the speed limit is breaking the law and those who break the law should be held to account.

On which of our roads does Mr Gold feel that it is acceptable for people to exceed the speed limit and break the law, risking the lives of other road users and pedestrians?

And before he or others reach for their pens, I drive a car all the time. I stick to the speed limits and I have never been flashed for speeding.

Councillor Warren Morgan

Labour,

-East Brighton