Letters From Readers - New Restrictions, March 1975

Sir,

I feel I must take issue with some of the letters published in the February issue of your excellent, if at times controversial, magazine. It would appear that for some of your readers, like many of our politicians, the mouth is in gear before the brain is engaged.

The recently imposed speed restrictions may seem, to some of us, stupid, irrational or unnecessarily prohibitive, but before dismissing them as such, should we not look at one or two figures. Let its assume that the average annual mileage per car registered is 10,000 and that the average consumption is 30 m.p.g., then the quoted saving of, at best, 2% results in a saving of 6.66 gallons per car or a total of 90,835,740 gallons per annum, if one assumes there to be 13,600,000 cars registered. This may be a drop in the ocean, but together with other savings of all forms at which we should all be aiming, our balance of payments deficit can be helped considerably. Whether we like it or not, this country is in a far from happy state, economically, politically, or any other way one cares to look at it, and only by all pulling together in the same direction can any improvement be made. To this end the media have a moral responsibility to encourage us to abide by the its of the land, not to break it.

As for Mr. Bos, whose two out of three cars won’t run properly in top gear, then I can only assume that the power or the gear ratios must be wrong. I think it will be accepted that 25 m.p.h. per 1,000 r.p.m. in top or overdrive top is a reasonably high gearing – does Mr. Bos expect us to believe that neither of his two cars will pull 2,000 r.p.m. in overdrive top – really? My Rover 3500 S will pull 1000 r.p.m. in top quite easily with its gearing of 23.5 m.p.h. per 1000 r.p.m., as will my Sunbeam Alpine in overdrive top at 20 m.p.h. per 1000. As for his modification to his third car, can he blame any Government for that ?

Come on Mr. Boddy, how about it “back Britain” campaign for a change – you’ve knocked it long enough!

Salisbury P. G. TILSLEY