TEST OF MOTOR BRAKES

Auckland Star, Issue 17, 21 January 1932, Page 10

TEST OF MOTOR BRAKES

A,A A. SUGGESTION TO COUNCIL LICENSE SCHEME DISAPPROVED. The Auckland Automobile Association does not approve of the suggestion by the City Council that, in order to obtain greater safety on tlie roads, motorists should be compelled, before the annual registration of their vehicles, to furnish certificates guaranteeing the efficiency of their brakes. It was decided at last night's meeting of the council of the A.A.A. to recommend the City Council to try a system of inspection instead, with the idea of impressing motorists with the importance of keeping their brakes efficiently adjusted. The service committee of the association expressed the view that the problem was already completely dealt with under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1924, which requires that every brake should be maintained at all times in good working order, and forbids the operation of a motor vehicle not possessing the requisite brakes. Under regulation ;2. section 3, police officers and traffic inspectors are authorised to inspect at any time the brakes or any other part of a motor vehicle, with a view to ascertaining whether they comply with the regulations. Members said that a compulsory system, involving an annual certificate, would not ensure that the brakes would be kept in perfect condition for a year. It was decided to notify the chief traffic inspector of the City Council that, in the opinion of the association, ho already possesses full authority to deal with inefficient brakes. The association offered to supply a patrol to work in conjunction with the traffic officer of the City Council on a section of road over a period of one week. Motorists could be stopped and brakes quickly tested for efficiency. Under the association's scheme no motorist would be prosecuted, as the test was intended as educational propaganda, and motorists would be given the opportunity of having their brakes adjusted according to the requirements of the motor regulations. The test would be of the same nature as the test on headlights conducted con jointly by the association and the City Council last year.