70mph: the law is the law

I read the letter by Mr Phipps a few days ago and I was not sure if he was serious about overtaking at 77mph. I decided to sit back and see what replies he received. The last one was from a Mr Wilkinson.

The thoughts of advanced driver training organisations, or the tolerance that any police force might work by, do not alter the rules of the Road Traffic Act.

I quote a part of Mr Phipps's letter: "Vehicles that need to overtake other vehicles travelling at 70mph can go up to 77mph when overtaking." If a driver closes on a vehicle in front travelling at 70mph, he or she must themselves have been travelling at over 70mph and has broken the law.

I am sorry, Mr Phipps, but if the vehicle in front is travelling at 70mph you must remain behind and observe the required distance from that vehicle.

I am an advanced driver for light and large vehicles and was for a number of years a qualified testing officer on all of those classes.

If I asked a driver taking their test: "What is the national speed limit?" and the answer was "70mph, except when overtaking when it is 77mph," I would not have been a happy QTO nor would the driver be happy at the end of the test.

No matter what others may tell you, the Highway Code is an extract from the Road Traffic Act and if you break any of the regulations you leave yourself open to criminal proceedings.

Richard Armstrong, Telford