MOTORING IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25271, 25 August 1947, Page 6

MOTORING IN AUSTRALIA

COMPARISON WITH NEW ZEALAND

HIGH CASUALTY RATE IN COMMONWEALTH

The death and accident casualty list in Australia from 1930 to 1946 was greater than the total strength of the Australian Imperial Force in the first world war, said Mr L. Trout, president of the Australian Automobile Association, in an interview last evening. Mr Trout is visiting New Zealand to study motoring problems, signposting, and road safety methods. Deaths from road accidents in Australia averaged 1500 a year and road casualties totalled 26,000 a year, said Mr Trout. Australia had the second highest death rate in’the world from road accidents and it cost the country £10,000,000 a year. One of the main reasons for the high casualty rate was the lack of co-ordin-ation in road building and management. Roads often had followed bullock tracks and cars had been made to try to suit the roads, instead of the opposite. Through lack of co-ordination, death traps were often left, and bridges were built without any thought for the safety of motorists in their approach to them. There was no coordination among the six different states, and New Zealand was fortunate that it did not have the same problem. Efforts were being made towards coordination, and last year the Federal Government granted £lOO.OOO to establish road safety councils. It was hoped to get a grant of £150.000 next year to be used entirely for road safety methods. The campaign that was being arranged for road safety would be a continuous one, and it was hoped it would remain for always. The road signing in New Zealand was superior to that in Australia, said Mr Trout. Each sign in New Zealand showed that it had been erected scientifically and after much thought. The colours of yellow and black on white posts had many advantages over Australia. where there were different traffic laws and signpost arrangements for each state. It was hoped to standardise methods throughout Australia so that motorists could travel from Perth to Cane York without alteration of signs. In Australia the police handled the traffic. This was different from New Zealand, where control by the Transport Department was a- definite advantage.

Petrol Supplies Petrol rationing had not been abolished since the war, but it was considered to be a farce, and that no extra petrol would be used if it were abolished. Private motorists, however, would probably feel the effects of the additional cut introduced as a result of the economic crisis. The war and depression tax on petrol had been reduced from Is to IOJd since the war ended. There were 300,000 members of the Automobile Association in Australia. The sum of £287,000,000 was spent yearly on road transport, this being three times more than all other forms of transport combined, said Mr Trout. The pegged price for second-hand cars had resulted in much black mar- i keting, and it was considered that the | industry would be better off without; it. It had been impossible to police! the regulations and so impossible to | prevent the black marketing. Aus-j tralia had plenty of chassis for new I cars but no bodies. Importation of new cars could not meet the demand,! but smaller new cars were more easily; obtainable. It was hoped that, Australia would eventually manufacture her own cars, but this would not be for some time. New Zealand had many more mountainous roads than Australia, and from what he had seen the road engineering had been excellent, said Mr Trout. He noticed many safety fences, but the position appeared to be similar to Australia, where a great many more | safety fences were necessary. These: were invaluable to motorists. New Zealand was fortunate in hav-l ing large quantities of road metal available, and road surfaces in the country were generally superior to those in Australia. Particularly in Queensland, the country suffered from) road bogging as a result of the black | soil. Maintenance on the long stretches; of road was a big problem, and unless these roads were constantly ini use they suffered. Mr Trout arrived in Auckland on, August 13, and after visiting Dunedin! and Invercargill, will return by plane) to Auckland next Saturday. He will' i leave for Australia on September X |