Sir – Can someone tell me why Oxfordshire County Council had to announce the fact that they were turning off the speed cameras?

After all, it is known that only a small percentage were active at any one time: the deterrent effect relates to the fact that no one knows which ones are active. But if we know that none of them are . . .

It is true that the whole issue of speed cameras has been badly handled, and the media have been able to mount an ongoing hate campaign against them. It is also true that many of the existing speed limits are inappropriate and not always adequately signed (though a national review is under way). But does anyone seriously believe (as Christopher Gray seems to imply (Gray Matter, August 5) that we can simply rely on the natural law-abiding nature of the driving population to keep speed in check?

As part of the new free-for-all, we will no doubt also be losing the speed awareness courses that provide one of the few aspects of driver re-education that currently exist.

In fact, we need a national programme of re-education about speed, free from the pointless polarisation between “car haters” and “boy racers”.

In the meantime, I predict an increase in average speeds in built-up areas (contrary to Jeremy Clarkson and Christopher Gray).

John Bates, Abingdon