STEVE O Hara s letter ( Taking our cash, December 3) refers to a friend of his receiving a fixed penalty and three points on her licence for the offence of going through a set of traffic lights just 1.3 seconds into the red. The Highway Code states that

STEVE O'Hara's letter ("Taking our cash," December 3) refers to a friend of his receiving a fixed penalty and three points on her licence for the offence of going through a set of traffic lights just 1.3 seconds into the red.

The Highway Code states that "Amber means stop at the stop line. You may go on only if the amber appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident" (Source: Highway Code web site).

Had a pedestrian stepped into the road just 0.5 seconds after the light had gone red and been run down by his friend, who would his friend have blamed for the accident?

I have often witnessed drivers committing this particular offence and held my breath awaiting the possible thud.

Does Mr O'Hara's friend remember a recent fatal accident at the junction of London Road, Godmanchester, and the A1198? A newly-qualified schoolboy driver appeared to have pulled out in the wrong gear and stalled the engine of his car. A lorry was being driven from Papworth towards the junction at 'slightly' over the permitted speed limit for the vehicle. There was a collision and the boy died.

Had the driver been driving within the rules, the lorry would not have been at the site of the collision and there is every likelihood that young boy would be here today, looking forward to another Christmas.

I have deduced over the years that cars cannot read. It is the lack of due care and attention, or the arrogance, of many drivers who think they can get away with it that puts the lives of other road users at risk.

If Mr O'Hara and his friend consider her action in this case to be the norm, then I suggest both he and she familiarise themselves with the rules of the road.

JOHN WHITE

Green Close

Hemingford Grey