Speed Limit

* Although Donald Pevsner does an excellent job of presenting the case against the national speed limit, he doesn’t go far enough (Commentary, June 25). Any law that is disregarded by everyone (and admit it, no one drives 55) is a bad law. And disregard for the law--any law--breeds disrespect for police in general. Imagine if for a single month all the police officers across the country who normally patrol for speeders would work on burglaries, thefts, vandalism, gang crimes and other real police work. Any reasonable person can see this would be a greater common good.

NEIL M. SZIGETHY

Rancho Palos Verdes

* Why not ask some of the thousands of truck-bus-car-motorcycle accident orphans what they think about the senators who have just voted to remove the life-protecting 55-m.p.h. speed limit (June 21)?

The statistics are very simple: 55,000 deaths, many of them mothers and fathers, before the 55 limit of 1973. Today, there are about “40,000 such fatalities annually, with about 10,000 speed-related,” says Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.).

DUKE RUSSELL

Hollywood

* The good news is that Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have not been swept away by regulatory reform revolutionists. They favor 55- and 65-m.p.h. speed limits. The bad news allows states to regulate speed at their discretion. Legislation to propose higher speed limits will be introduced by state Sen. Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco) to raise California highway speed limits to 65 or 70 m.p.h. (June 22).

This is insanity. According to the CHP, speed has consistently been a major cause of fatal and injury accidents. It is especially important that trucks and buses be kept at the existing speed limit of 55 m.p.h.

HELEN SHANBROM

Santa Ana