There was a heated discussion on the radio recently following Oxford County Council’s plan to save money by removing all their speed cameras. It was clear that there’s something about this method of encouraging drivers to obey the rules of the road that really upsets them, and the majority of contributors were very much opposed to the cameras.

The arguments ranged from seeing them as money-making machines for local authorities and another form of taxation for the hard-hit motorist, to the unnecessary curtailment of driver decision-making. Other comments suggested that they did not reduce speed, and, indeed, caused more accidents.

No-one mentioned that when we had just two million cars on the road in the 1930s there were more than 7,000 deaths a year, and now, less than half that number die with more than 34 million vehicles. Speed cameras, added to drink-driving legislation and seat belts, have played a part in making UK roads the safest in Europe.

My experience as a councillor was that local communities were very much in favour of speed cameras and didn’t understand how difficult it was to get them installed. Indeed, those who live near Beacon Road and Moore Avenue, where many drivers think that speed limits are optional, are still waiting.

However, there is a much more important reason why driving more slowly is essential, and that is to do with fuel use, and the production of less carbon dioxide.

Fast driving uses more fuel as the car has to push the air in front of it out of the way, and it takes a third less to drive at 50 mph than at 70-plus. That means a third less CO2 is produced – a simple way of reducing the rate at which it is accumulating in the atmosphere and changing the climate.

Shipping has already shown the way, with large container ships slowing from 20 to 12 knots, reducing costs, fuel use and CO2 emissions by more than a third.

Additionally, of course, it’s important that we slow down the rate at which we use fuel as crude oil production has peaked and there are now serious problems getting the remaining oil out of the ground.

So it’s in all our interests to drive more carefully, to slow down climate change and keep the garages open longer, and this might mean a national limit of 55mph, enforced by speed cameras.

Drivers could be given two reminder letters before the points penalty and fines start with the third transgression so they would have no excuse. The way to keep both licence and wallet intact is to obey the speed limit rather than remove the cameras.