SAFETY ON THE ROADS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27415, 30 July 1954, Page 9

SAFETY ON THE ROADS

PEAK PEF.IOD FOR ACCIDENTS

INSPECTORS TO KEEP CLOSER WATCH (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 29. Six to seven o’clock on Friday ana Saturday nights was the most dangerous hour on New Zealand roads, ana 10 per cent, of ®ll road accidents occurred then, the Minister of Transport (Mr W. S Goosman) told members or the Road Safety Council today. To combat this trend the Transport Department would put every available traffic officer on the road during this hour, said Mr Goosman. Plain-clothes and uniformed officers would take part in this new drive to lower the accident rate, he said, and the department would also request metropolitan authorities to have their traffic officers on duty at the same time. ' Last year, he said, 28 fatal and 500 other accidents occurred on Saturday nights. Fourteen fatal and 200 other accidents occurred on Friday nights. There was considerable traffic on the roads during those hours, bur the department considered that the volume was not excessive. . There were probably many reasons why the accident rate was high during the hour, but that was for the council to find out. He said that “very very little” alcohol could have a serious effect on a driver. Another factor that could contribute to the high accident rate was poor street lighting, and the council could well investigate thia possibility. The council had accomplished much, and members could look back over the last few months with a good deal of satisfaction, he said. “In March things looked pretty grim,” he said. “The road deaths in January and February were the highest ever, but those from March, April and May are the lowest for four years. They are lower even than the corresponding months in 1936. 1937. 1938. and 1939, when there was only half the traffic on the road there is today. “When the mufti officer proposal was first put up, it was called some nasty names, but now there is general approval and no objection to the scheme. They have played no small part in bringing the accident rate down. More publicity, too, has played an important part in the campaign.” Compared with. 1953 there were 19 road deaths fewer to date, said Mr Goosman, and since mid-March the number of deaths had dropped by 48 compared with the corresponding period in 1953. The figures for all road accidents were also down. “Everyone can congratulate himself on what has been achieved,” he said. “It is amazing how traffic behaviour has improved in recent months, and the department is having a pretty hard job finding offenders today?*