I have read letters from drivers telling cyclists to look out to avoid being accidentally mown down by car drivers (December 8 and 19).

Should pedestrians wear lights and high-visibility clothing too all winter so they aren’t accidentally mown down?

Or, perhaps drivers should just slow down.

The Highway Code states the stopping distance for two-ton motor vehicles at 30mph is 75ft. So, their responsibility is to drive slower if in control of such a heavy, gas-guzzling, polluting machine.

In The Argus, I read about a motorist being caught speeding at 71mph near a school (December 20).

Every day I see cars speeding as soon as there is a straight bit of road in the city.

Plenty of cyclists are knocked down because the motorist “just didn’t see them”, even in summertime; that’s probably because they were going too fast.

A Mercedes car collided with me when I was on the National Cycle Network route up to Devil’s Dyke last June.

She said she saw me, but all I saw was her car bonnet as it slammed into me. I was the one who was injured and I was the one who had to pay for the damage to her car.

Yes, I was wearing a helmet and, yes, I was wearing a hi-vis cycling jacket and turning left.

I often get off my bike to turn right for safety reasons, but didn’t think I needed to when turning left. In most European countries, the motorist has to take responsibility if a pedestrian or cyclist is hurt because of their vehicle, but here it seems the motorist is always right.

If this changed and if speed limits were reduced, perhaps more people would “dare” to cycle and pedestrians could enjoy a safer, more peaceful walk around our city, without the noise, fumes and dangers posed by cars.

There would be fewer health problems if people took more exercise, less obesity and more civility along with less congestion for those motorists who have no choice but to drive.

Anne Barry, Bristol Gate, Brighton

Fortunately, I am writing this letter as a wife, and not as a widow.

At about 10.30am on Saturday, December 17, my husband was driving north on the Hassocks to Haywards Heath Road.

As he approached a blind bend he came face-to-face with an ambulance on an emergency call. It was necessary for my husband to pull sharply to the left and up on to the verge.

I dread to think of the outcome if the grass verge had not been there.

I’m sure we’re all grateful for the wonderful job the emergency services provide. However, even when blue lights are flashing and sirens wailing, do not overtake on a blind bend.

I do hope the driver of this ambulance can be found and severely reprimanded. Our Christmas arrangements could so easily have been far different from what we had planned.

In reply to a letter from Rob Silverstone (December 19) saying that sirens should sound friendlier and quieter, I must say no – they are meant as a warning and sound awful for a very good reason. If you live in the centre of town or near a hospital I am sure the wailing sirens are a nuisance and, yes, the noise does tend to travel somewhat.

I am sure Mr Silverstone would be glad of such a service if he needed it, although I hope this is never the case.

Christine Luffman, Rotherfield Crescent, Hollingbury