CAUSES OF MOTOR ACCIDENTS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22196, 13 September 1937, Page 8

CAUSES OF MOTOR ACCIDENTS

* MAGISTRATE'S REVIEW. INTENSIVE PROPAGANDA RECOMMENDED > "There are to my mind two main reasons for the apparent disregard <tf the elementary principles of safe drfr. ing," says Mr J. H. Luxford. S.M, & an article in the magazir.e the "Ho*orary Magistrate." "One is that too many people drive as they feel ]{_> driving rather than with a correct knowledge of how they should drht The other is that the vast majority at drivers travel thousands cf mflej without serious accident, and do not realise that their immunity has beea due more to good fortune than to careful and skilful driving. "The number of motor-vehicles _ fa New Zealand is approximately 2SQJIQQ. If the average distance travelled fey each vehicle is 4000 miles a year, the total annual mileage is 1.000,00(yjfl( I miles. That is approximately correct During the year 1935, 62,000,000 gaßaoa of petrol were consumed by mot—. vehicles; that quantity would enahfe 1,000,000,000 miles to be travelled _ each vehicle averaged slightly over II miles to the gallon. "Unfortunately there are no official figures available to show the total number of accidents in any one year, but it would not be far short «t 10 000 That means there is one accident for every 100,000.000 miles towelled, and that one vehicle in every 8 is involved in an accident each yea. The proportion of major accidents is very much smaller, probably not more than one in IGO. "Those figures are bad enough, bat they show what a small percentage* drivers arc involved in serious milhaps The result is that drivers as a class really believe that they are efficient and can disregard with impunity the two fundamental principles tt safety, driving at a reasonable sped having regard to all the and keeping as near as practicable to the left or near side of the road. Abo* thev do disregard those princijte until at last the hundred-thousadft mile is registered with its inevitable consequences. The First Accident "Those of us who preside over Courts of summary jurisdiction tawonly too well the driver who few never had an accident previously to the one which brings him before the Court; the driver who honestly believes that he cannot be wrong because he has developed a style c method of driving which, according ta his view, is right. That is the trouHe. A driver does acquire his ownjnfc of driving and his own ideas of safety. but unless his style and ideas « based on proper principles, be wffl sooner or later come to grief. "The problem will not be antwf until drivers as a class appreciate; their responsibilities and are ttMWfr cally equipped to discharge ttgL . There are more than 300.CWQ bMBB* of drivers' licences in New ZeaflM and it would now be impractical** examine each and every one oflaflt to ascertain his or her capacity,* i drive a motor vehicle on a ~8» "The only' method of solving ' Jfct problem is by intensive. PrpJgfWg of a kind that can be assunuated**. by comprehensive regulations SWOT to be enforced. Questions of popganda and of regulations are mam for the responsible Minister, W« enforcement of the regulations » partly a matter for the Minister «■ , partly for those who preside owrw 1 Courts of summary jurisdiction.