RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACCIDENTS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22104, 28 May 1937, Page 17

RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACCIDENTS

MOTORISTS NOT SOLELY TO BLAME (PBOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, May 8. Whether you drive a car. ride a bicycle, or merely walk in England you are likely to be responsible for the same percentage of accidents involving personal injury. The Ministry of Transport, however, has succeeded in ascertaining that car drivers are rather more to blame, but not a very great deal. , An analysis based on reports of 100 000 road accidents where personal injury resulted during the April-Sep-tember period last year shows that drivers were held responsible in 33 per cent, of the cases; pedestrians in 281 per cent., and pedal cyclists in 26.2 per cent. In the 100,000 accidents 2560 persons were killed, 26,698 seriously injured, and 83.553 slightly injured. Among the conclusions reached are: Of the total accidents, 76J per cent, ocurred in built-up areas and 23} .per cent, in areas not built up. In areas not built up 38 per cent, of the accidents resulted in death or serious injury, compared with 23.3 per cent, in built-up areas. Although 42 per cent, of the accidents occurred at junctions, 51 per cent, took place on straight roads or open road bends with good visibility. One-third of the persons injured were cyclists, 29 per cent, were pedestrians, and 18 per cent, were motor-cyclists or their passengers. More than one-third of motorcyclists were either killed or seriously injured. In nearly 8000 cases, over 28 per cent, of all the accidents for which pedestrians were held responsible, the accident was ascribed to a child under seven years of age. Where the causes of accidents were ascribed to motorvehicle drivers, excessive speed accounted for 3073 cases and 204 deaths. If the car refuses to start after being left half an hour, although it had previously been running like a bird, suspect an air bubble in the fuel system, usually caused by an air leak in the line to the fuel pump, causing that component to suck air instead of petrol. When the car is in motion the pump will overcome a slight air leak, but this may make it quite impossible to start up. Many drivers use the "waving-on" hand signal quite unnecessarily when hearing a hoot frcm behind on a main road. The correct response is to pull over to the near side. This action makes it clear to the overtaker that his Intentions are known.