Road Safety

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23948, 15 May 1943, Page 4

Road Safety

While the recent decision of the Full Court on the rule that drivers must give way to traffic coming on the right, e\;en when such traffic is turning to the right, clarifies the rule it unfortunately also establishes it as a bad one, which should be revised at the earliest opportunity. The road code in New Zealand, although carefully drawn up and on the whole a reasonable one in practical application, can still be improved in a number of important aspects. The first consideration is, of course, safety; and where provision for safety can be combined with provision for the freer movement of traffic, the ideal rule has been made. The Chief Traffic Inspector in Dunedin (Mr E, H. Barnett) has expressed in emphatic terms his disagreement with the right hand rule as clarified, saying that ‘‘the effect on road traffic can " best be described as suicidal and most motor drivers will firmly agree with him. Unquestionably, as Mr Barnett indicates, the rule imposes an unfair and dangerous responsibility on the driver going straight ahead; for it adds to the risks he is required to avoid, and the added risk is a great one, which may often be hard to foresee and avoid. It is again easy to agree will: Mr Barnett when he says that ihe time appears overdue when main road traffic should have the right of way. The point is emphasised by a correspondent, an experienced driver in England, whose litter appears this morning. He expresses the view that all main mad traffic should have the right of way and that all traffic entering a i'wior road from left or right should make a compulsory stop before entering the main traffic stream. This system has proved very satisfactory both in England and the United Stales, where it has beem fmmd both to increase the safety of 11-; ; ! on the major highways and to speed it up. Recent tragic level it i os sing accidents have suggested

that a similar rule should be applied to them; that is, that all traffic should be compelled to halt at all railway or tramway level crossings to make sure that the line is clear before proceeding. This rule also works well in the United States, where heavy penalties are imposed for not observing it. Al-: though constant endeavours have been made in recent years in New Zealand to educate the public in road safety and although motor traffic since the war has considerably decreased, the statistics of fatal road accidents are still appalling. Any revision of the traffic code which may help to eliminate or control causes of danger should be undertaken without delay.