Nick Martin, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the North Swindon Constituency, in his letter to the Advertiser printed November 3, asks why John Prescott is so obsessed with train safety, when 10 people are killed every day on our roads.

I think the answer to that question is that in the light of recent train accidents showing the serious under investment in our rail network, and a concern for private profit more than for safety over the last 20 years or so, there is now a more urgent need for Government action to make our railways safe.

Mr Martin is, however, quite right regarding his statistics. There is a greater risk of death on the roads than on the railways. Using his figures which as he says are supported by the Department of Transport, one could say that in any month of the year the fatalities on our roads are twice as great as an Aberfan disaster. 144 people mainly children lost their lives in that disaster, and that disaster shook the nation, but the fact that we have two Aberfan disasters (2 x 144 = 288) every month, and 300 (10 x 30 = 300) every month does not seem to shake anyone.

I think John Prescott is concerned more with rail safety than accidents on our roads at this present moment because he knows that road accidents can be prevented more by individual action rather than government action.

Speed is the main factor for road deaths, and its control is determined by the motorist. It is individual action more than government action that is required to reduce the carnage on our roads. Think about it, two Aberfans every month.

Mr Martin considers road accidents must be the real priority, and they are, but the reduction of them is more in the hands of the individual, where as rail safety is more in the hands of government. John Prescott has his priorities right, I think. What more, regarding road safety, could the Government do than what they have done already?

A J DAVIES

Buller Street

Swindon