AS we have seen with dramatic and tragic results over the past few weeks, speeding motorists are responsible for carnage on the roads.

While speed limits almost seem to be an imposition to some drivers, they are there for very good reason – to ensure that motorists travel at such a speed that they can keep control of their vehicle and brake in good time in the event of an emergency.

No matter how good a driver you think you are, the reactions of both you and your vehicle are that much slower when travelling at high speed, and that can mean the difference between life and death for you, another road user, or a pedestrian.

Many motorists who regularly break the speed limit are young men, often who have only recently passed their driving test, who allow the new-found freedom of being on the road to spiral into recklessness.

The T&A has long advocated stronger controls on young drivers. Many of those who pass their tests at 17 are still, really, not far from being children, and until they can demonstrate a maturity in their driving their activities should be somewhat curbed.

Indeed, many young people today find their insurance company will monitor their driving month-by-month, with financial penalties added to the insurance premiums if driving is consistently dangerous or reckless.

Perhaps there should be even stronger measures, such as limiting the size of the engine of the type of car that new drivers are allowed to get behind the wheel of. Whatever the answer, the danger drivers need slowing down now before more people lose their lives.