10 KILLED ON N.Z. ROADS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28472, 30 December 1957, Page 8

10 KILLED ON N.Z. ROADS

Holiday Traffic Toll

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, Dec. 29. One death during the week-end brought the number of road deaths since December 20 to 10. The number of persons killed on New Zealand roads to date this year is 379—50 more than the last year in which there was a record 329 fatalities. Reports from traffic districts throughout the Dominion show that the most common breaches of the road Code are following too closely, risky or faulty overtaking, sometimes at high speeds, and failing to keep to the left. In Nelson traffic district, cars were travelling in “convoy fashion,” hugging the centre line and when a driver moved out of line to overtake. following vehicles did likewise. If the road ahead was clear, traffic did not immediately regain the left-hand side of the road. The practice has also been noted in the Blenheim and Greymouth areas. Tickets for Speeding Eleven drivers were issued with tickets for speeding in the Hawke’s Bay area, 35 in Canterbury and 10 in Kaikoura. In the Wellington, Whangarei and Taranaki districts a prevalent breach was committed by motorcyclists with pillion passengers exceeding 30 miles an hour without safety helmets. Four drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of liquor. Sixteen drivers who had consumed liquor had their keys seized, six of these in the Gisborne district.

In the Hamilton district, , 11 tickets were issued for inconsiderate parking in dangerous positions on usable roadway. The Transport Department deplored the action of people who had thrown bottles on sections of the roadway between Patea and Wanganui. Though reports indicated generally orderly driving in the Manawatu, traffic officers noted several instances of motorists driving with their elbows projecting through the windows. Apart from the obvious danger to a driver himself following motorists could mistake such action for a signal.

A Transport Departent spokesman said special care should be taken in the next day or two, in view of predictions of adverse weather. The department again appealed to motorists to adjust their driving to suit prevailing weather and traffic conditions. He said reports indicated that drivers throughout the Dominion had increased their speeds during the past two days.