Reader Letters: 20mph speeders, braking bad and emissions cheats

Quick change

Am I the only driver in Leeds who obeys the 20mph speed limit? A road near me was changed to 20mph a month ago and when I’m on it, 100% of the people behind me tailgate, gesture wildly and then aggressively overtake — all because I’m obeying the law. The road is next to a park, a school and a busy shop. At least I enjoy a giggle when we inevitably meet up again at the next traffic lights.

Abby Jay Naylor, Bramley, Leeds

Braking with tradition

I too was taught to “change down to slow down” (“Geared to fail”, Letters, June 5), but numerous articles I’ve read over the years concerning control, efficiency, engine wear and the environment have persuaded me that the young man your correspondent referred to who relied on his brakes alone was right to do so. Just tell young drivers to use their brakes intelligently.

Trevor Brown, Bodicote, Oxfordshire

Crash cause

Drivers don’t crash because they fail to employ engine braking on wet and slippery roads. They do so because they drive too fast.

Paul Garment, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire

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On hold 

The reason why brake lights are left on when a car is stopped, particularly on a Mercedes, is because of the “hold” function (“Blindingly obvious”, Letters, June 12). Even in stop-start mode the hold function not only puts on the parking brake but also activates the rear brake lights.  

Paul Smith, Fleet, Hampshire

Conspiracy theory

Is there an investigation under way into the potential Volkswagen board-level conspiracy that led it to install emissions-cheating software in millions of cars (“Gone in a puff of smoke”, June 5)? I’m no lawyer, but surely this didn’t happen accidentally.

Howard Davis, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire

[Read our exclusive investigation: Who is to blame? Driving tracks down the dieselgate engineers]