MUST STOP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 171, 21 July 1936, Page 8

MUST STOP.

"ROAD SLAUGHTER" ACCIDENT DEATHS. MINISTER DETERMINED. DOMINION-WIDE CAMPAIGN. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Ueporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. "Wholesale slaughter on the roads has got to stop. Since the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill was introduced early in June, there have been 47 deaths on the road, caused by motor accidents, and the number of hit-and-run incidents has doubled. It has got to be stopped. 1 am satisfied that 90 per cent, of these fatalities are preventable." This statement was made by the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, to-day, when announcing that as soon as the bill had been passed by Parliament he intended to call together all interested parties, to discuss the initiation of a Dominion-wide safetyfirst campaign. Mr. Semple said that the figures he had quoted fully justified the introduction of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, which was at the top of the Order Paper, and which would be dealt with this week. The bill would be ineffective unless there was complete unanimity amongst all those interested in the motor business and the public. He was satisfied that there was need for one code of regulations for the whole of New Zealand.

"1 am convinced," said Mr. Semple, "that there is a crying need for an examination of all cars and a provision that drivers should possess a certificate of physical fitness." The Minister said that a<> soon as the bill was passed, he •intended to call a national conference of all those interested to plan a safety first campaign. He was satisfied that the Government would have to arrange for lessons in schools by means of films, wireless and every other means at its disposal. Inspectors as Teachers. "We want inspectors to act not as prosecutors, but as teachers," said the Minister. "There is a tremendous amount of reckless driving in New Zealand. I notice it every day myself. Drivers, in pulling out from kerbs and from parking places, do not put their hand out or make any signal, and there is also a lot of unnecessary passing of other cars on the road without warning. I drive very often from Parliament Buildings to my home in Kilbirnie, and I notice cars going through the traffic tunnel at 30 and 40 miles an hour, when the regulation speed is only 20 miles. The toll of the road in this Dominion on a population basis is simply shocking. It is coming to a question of wholesale slaughter. Forty-seven fatalities in one month! It has to be stopped. lam satisfied that 90 per cent of these fatalities are preventable." The Minister da id that the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill had received an excellent reception from the Jpcal bodies to whom it had been referred, and only minor amendments had been suggested. One important amendment that would be made would be in reference to bicycles. In the original bill the registration of bicycles had been provided for, but it had now been decided to leave this to the local bodies. Useful Amendments. Another amendment would provide that purchasers of used cars, on the payment of a. fee of 1/ would be given the right to examine the past history of the car they were buying. In the past, the Minister said, there had been cases m which purchasers had been misled regarding the car they were buying, and it. was desirable to avoid this. There would be a further amendment to provide that all private cars would be subject to a periodical examination to ensure that they were in good order before they were allowed on the road.