In his letter to the editor, Mr Ballantyne is right that road deaths demand urgent action, but his focus on pedestrian behaviour puts the cart before the horse.

Pedestrians do take risks, and education has a role. People cross where they do because of the environment we have built for them. Over the years, crossings have been removed from many roads, leaving walkers with long detours or no safe option at all. Walkovers are of little use to the elderly, people with disabilities, parents with small children, or anyone facing a long climb in the heat. When the safe route is inconvenient or missing, people take the shortest one. That is predictable human behaviour, not simply a cultural failing. Charging pedestrians for crossing where we have taken away the crossings punishes them for our own infrastructure failures.

The greater problem is driver behaviour. Every time I drive, I see motorists ignore the rules at crossings, use their phones at the wheel and fail to give way to walkers and runners. Heavier vehicles demand even more care. Until drivers follow the rules, enforcement is visible and consistent, and penalties are certain. No pedestrian awareness campaign will bring down the fatality figures.

Road safety is a shared responsibility, so let us share it fairly. Restore safe, at-grade crossings where people actually walk. Enforce the law so that drivers are both safe and respectful. Extend road-safety education to everyone, drivers and non-drivers alike.

Safety on our roads starts with the crossings and the enforcement we owe to every person on foot. In all aspects of our life, our country needs to be more law-oriented.