IN response to Neil Thompson’s letter (Oxford Mail, July 1), I don’t believe in coincidence, and I don’t believe I was tailgated, twice on the same day, by what he claims were a “tiny” number of drivers capable of exceeding the legal speed limit of 56mph, for a truck over 7.5 tonnes.

On a recent 25-mile drive down the M40, in the inside lane at 60mph, I was passed by a succession of trucks who had no problem passing me.

Fortunately, the only vehicles they were tailgating were each other, some of them towing trailers, and they were far from clapped out old bangers.

What beggars belief, and I have no problem facing criticism, is that, of all the criticism my original letter (about tailgating lorry drivers) drew, each and every critic seemed to believe that tailgating was an acceptable driving practice, when, in fact, it is an offence that carries a heavy fine and points on licences.

One letter was from someone claiming to be an ambulance driver. I wouldn’t want him driving my granny to hospital.

I did receive a nice letter of support from a gentleman in Headington, who had had the same problem on the same stretch of road.

He claimed he didn’t want to go to print with it and it’s not difficult to see why.

In a recent letter, Mr Thompson suggested I change the subject. Why? There’s a lot of mileage left in this one. Maybe we could tackle the unscrupulous minority of lorry drivers who drive using someone else’s tachograph disc? Or is he going to claim that can’t and doesn’t happen either?

Everyone accepts that bad truck drivers are like bad drivers of other vehicles – in the minority.

But to refer back to my previous letter, if shunted from behind by another car there’s a reasonable chance of survival. However, what is the chance when shunted by 48 tonnes?

How many HGVs does it take to plough you into the road?

Ken Roper, Morton Avenue, Kidlington