Dear Sir/Madam,

The Daily Telegraph has always been a staunch supporter and proponent of the motorcar, but I beg you to pause for a moment and to reconsider your position. Nothing becomes a man (or a newspaper) more than the ability to reassess his position and opinions in the light of new knowledge or heightened awareness, and to have the courage, when necessary, to change them (Duncan Smith in pledge to build more motorways, 23 July 2003; Telegraph Opinion: Good road sense, 23 July 2003). 

If I start by saying that the motorcar is a "curse", you will just dismiss me with a laugh and read no further, so I will try to be a bit more tactful. I would like you to see the motorcar, even if it is just for a moment, in the light in which I have come to view it. It is a very different light to the one that you, and most other people, are accustomed to seeing it in, but that should not disqualify it from being worthy of consideration.

In the European Union alone, more than 40,000 people (many of them young people and children) die annually in road accidents. That is equivalent to two full jumbo jets crashing every week with the loss of all on board. If flying were that dangerous, of course, nobody would fly, but why is our perception of road deaths so different? Over the years, millions have been killed and millions more maimed. And the way things are going, millions more will die and be maimed in future.

The motorcar is also one of the biggest consumers of non-renewable resources, both in its manufacture and operation. It is one of the biggest polluters of the environment and disrupters of our planet's climate and life-supporting ecosystems. It has had a hugely negative impact on the countryside, our cities, towns and villages, yet for some reason we play down all its negative effects and accept them as a price worth paying for all the pleasures and benefits that cars undeniably provide.

More important even than the above considerations is that less than one fifth of the world's population is currently motorised, yet already our planet is groaning under the strain. There is no denying the car's attractiveness; once they can afford it, virtually everyone wants one (or two or more). As the world's 7-9 billion inhabitants become more prosperous (as we all hope they will) the total number of cars worldwide is set to increase at least 6-fold before the middle of the Century, which would place an utterly unsustainable burden on Earth's finite resources and carrying capacity.

The truth of the matter, as I see it, is that we are ADDICTED to the motorcar, and that this addiction will have comparable consequences for society as alcohol addiction has for an individual. Just like the human liver, there is a limit to how much abuse our planet's vital organs can tolerate. We are moving (driving!) inexorably towards those limits, and the Daily Telegraph is encouraging us to do so: "Drink up my friend, another glass of wine will do us good . . . !" It is time you realised that you and your friend are alcoholics, and that you are encouraging him, yourself, and all of us, towards ill-health and an early death.

It is difficult to face up to, I know, because like most people, you too are addicted. And just as with an alcoholic, the first big obstacle is facing up to the fact that you (we) have a PROBLEM.

New Labour's half-hearted anti-car policy stems from the partial recognition, among some of its members, that we have a PROBLEM. The trouble is that most people, including most Labour supporters, don't want to know. The Conservatives will win a lot of votes by telling people what they want to hear, i.e. that there is no problem with the car and that all we need do is build more and better roads. But that is like telling an alcoholic that all he needs is a better supply of booze. It's not malicious, I'm sure; most Conservatives are addicted themselves and unaware of the PROBLEM.

If we face up to it, we can sort the PROBLEM out, although it will take time and the withdrawal symptoms will be severe. Millions of jobs will have to change, and everyone's motorised lifestyle, but it will be worth it - well worth it!  And it is not just our own lives we will be saving, but the lives of our children and coming generations as well.

In the hope that you will at least consider my unconventional view.