NOBODY can tell me the speed camera in Hythe, which is probably set at ten per cent over the posted speed limit, ie 33mph, has anything to do with road safety.

We are told that the speed cameras are nothing to do with a stealth tax on motorists, or a nice living for the quangos who operate it.

Now there is a way to prove my theory, it's called Micro Fuzion, and they sell it in our local car radio shop for £99. Basically it's a very sophisticated GPS with a nice young lady inside, (or you can alter it to a male voice), which tells you that you are approaching a speed camera, and more important a reminder what the posted speed limit is.

How many times have you joined a road with variable speed limit signs, and not known which one you are in? If you are going too fast she also warns you to slow down.

Of greater importance especially with older cars whose speedometer are not that accurate, or 4x4's who had none standard tyres, which effect the speedometer accuracy it, has a screen, which tells you your exact speed within one mph.

It also warns you of the new average speed limit traps, and has a free updating service on the Internet.

At my age, I am not a fast driver, but with a camera catching you if you pass it at only 3mph over the limit, has nothing to do with road safety, and is purely a cash cow. That in rural areas with little public transport, local shops, schools and other facilities long gone it's a necessity of life.

For people who need their driving licence to earn their living, its loss for doing just a few miles over the posted limit can mean loss of job, unable to pay the mortgage, loss of home, wife and children out on the street. You could commit a very serious crime and suffer less.

I also think I am no longer such a safe driver, as I worry about being caught by a camera. I spend more time watching my speedo than reading the road ahead. As such I would vote for any party whose manifesto proposed abolishing speed cameras. Put traffic police back on the road to catch the dangerous/drunk/drugged driver. Uninsured or cowboy motorcyclists cannot be caught by a camera.

In the meantime, if everybody bought a Micro Fuzion, nobody would get caught, with no cash coming in; we would soon see if they were for road safety or just cash cows?

PHILIP PEARCE-SMITH, Holbury.