WITH regard to headlines in the Burnham Standard on “Dangerous bends should change after crashes” supported by Councillor Wendy Stamp, I would like to advise Councillor Stamp that the “Burnham Bends” have been in existence for 69 years to my knowledge and a lot longer to inhabitants.

In years gone by they were never a problem because people knew how to drive and did not use them as a race track.

Drivers these days fail to take notice of speed notices, they drive far too fast and overtake very dangerously.

On Sundays dangerous driving is experienced as not only do we have the “Sunday drivers”, the motorbikes, new drivers and the bad impatient drivers.

The bends, driven at a sensible speed can be taken without braking from Mansion House to Ostend.

Car accidents happen all over the Dengie. Why? Because driving standards are poor and speed is not observed.

Cars driving into ditches = cars driving too fast, cars overtaking on bends = bad and inconsiderate driving, cars losing wing mirrors = cars driving over white lines.

Passing a driving test should make a driver proud and careful, but sadly it appears they are now “Kings of the Road” and give very rude signals to cars in front of them to go faster or pull over so they can get past.

The quality of driving at the moment is very poor and accidents will continue to happen until some form of patience/courtesy is observed.

The “no overtaking” sign going down the hill leaving Althorne just past the cemetery is a joke, I have observed a couple of near-misses when the “late for work brigade” have been driving so fast they couldn’t have stopped if they had to.

This is becoming a serious accident black spot.

This speeding issue has been a topic for many years but nothing gets done.

What should be done?

Well, how about recently-passed drivers having the green “P” plates on their cars as mandatory, speed around the bends to be a maximum of 40mph — and erect cameras.

Mobile phones are still being used all around The Dengie and eating at the wheel.

So Councillor Stamp please stop blaming the “Burnham Bends” just sort out the bad drivers, because there are many hundreds about.

Burnham is a beautiful place, but with the new houses being built in and around the Dengie, this speed problem will only get worse.

Cars trying to overtake a slow funeral hearse along Maldon Road was just disgusting the other week.

It’s not the bends that are dangerous it’s the drivers.

Avril Goodridge

Address supplied

Drivers cause the crashes, not roads

COMMENTS quoted of some people in M&B on February 16 about the “Lower Burnham” and “Southminster Road” being unsafe are deluding themselves.

It’s not the roads which cause crashes, it’s the drivers who cause crashes.

Bernard Ryan

Dragon Close Burnham