Road Safety

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27859, 6 January 1956, Page 8

Road Safety

Discussing the ‘dreadful toll of road deaths over the Christmas week-end, when 11 persons (later increased to 14) were reported killed, “ The “ Press ” suggested it was too much to hope for a marked improvement in the New Year holidays. It is pleasing to record that events proved this to have been too gloomy a view. Only three persons were killed at the New Year, the lowest figure for six years; and as the greater part of the holiday movement on the roads is now over, it is possible to hope that the country has just about paid its annual holiday bill in human life. It is a steep bill, By any standard—--17 killed and goodness knows how many seriously, perhaps permanently, injured. The lives saved at the New Year will not compensate for those lost at Christmas, when New Zealand’s road toll, on a population basis, was among the worst—if not the very worst—in the world.

Yet the strange thing- is that official and unofficial observations alike suggest that most road users co-operated willingly and conscientiously with the authorities in their efforts to make the roads safe for the holiday traffic. Officers of the Transport Department reported a high standard of care and courtesy by most motorists who, presumably, are keenly aware of the dangers and of their responsibility to minimise them as far as lies in their power. On the other hand, there is much evidence that a minority—and it cannot be a small minority—of drivers and riders of motor vehicles take risks, some deliberately, some thoughtlessly. The high proportion of drivers found by the microwave detectors to be exceeding the speed limits surely goes far to explain the high accident 'rate; and the holiday tally of prosecutions and impounded ignition keys just as certainly strengthens the inference . from post-mortem statistics that

alcohol is a main or contributory cause of more than a third of the road deaths in this country. These things point the way unmistakably to the measures that are needed to reduce the number of road accidents, not merely on holidays, but over the whole year. Everyone can share the gratification of the Minister-of Transport that the number of road deaths last year was lower than the year before, in spite of the continuing increase in the number of vehicles on the roads. But no-one can rest content merely because 13 lives a fortnight were lost in 1955 instead of 6 the 14 a fortnight in 1954. New Zealand may, as Mr Goosman said, be one of the most highly motorised countries in the world—per capita—but the density of traffic on our highways and urban streets bears no comparison with that of the more populous countries of Eurtipe and America. The high death and accidents rates in this country are still a national disgrace. All that can reasonably be done to enlist the help and understanding of reasonable and responsible citizens has been done. It remains only to discipline those who can be touched neither by appeals to their own interest nor by decent, humane consideration for the safety of others. For this a much larger staff is needed to -enforce the traffic laws; and much sterner penalties must be at the discretion of the Courts. i