However, Mr Haggerty's letter is inaccurate in one respect – an accident has already occurred in the very circumstances which are described in the letter.

Fortunately on this occasion the accident was not head-on, but a rear end shunt, I believe, involving three vehicles.

I personally have also seen a car impaled on one of the wooden posts.

During the 17 years prior to the installation of the calming measures, I am not aware of any accident which has occurred on the road.

The drivers who have to move onto the opposite side of the road in order to pass an island are overtaking, that is carrying out the same manoeuvre as, say, overtaking a slower moving car on a single carriageway road.

As such, they should observe the same safety precautions as when overtaking the slower car. They perceive that the danger is less due to the lower prevailing speeds which is certainly not the case.

Although the offending driver must shoulder the majority of the blame (and up to nine penalty points) if they cause an accident at one of the islands, Rutland County Council must also share some of the blame for an ill conceived and badly designed scheme.

A highway engineer colleague of mine considers that the measures would fail a road safety audit, particularly on lines of sight and the inadequacy of the signage. The letter is so poor that several of the signs have already gone missing.

I trust that Rutland County Council will do something before a serious accident occurs. Such an accident is only a matter of time.

David Wheeler
Ermine Rise
Great Casterton