Motorists Spending Less On Pre-Holiday Overhaul

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28765, 10 December 1958, Page 16

Motorists Spending Less On Pre-Holiday Overhaul

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Dec. 9. Many motorists are not spending as much as they have spent in past years on overhauling their cars before setting off on holiday trips. “If this happens on a big enough scale it could introduce a new danger to our holiday traffic,” said the Commissioner of Transport (Mi H. B. Smith) today. “The safest thing is to have items like brakes, steering, .lights, and other parts checked before setting off on a long trip.” Confirmation that motorists are spending less on pre-holiday checks was given by the secretary of the New Zealand Retail Motor Trade Association (Mr F. Knight). “I would think that motorists are not watching the position as they have done in the past,” he said. "Workshops have not been as busy as they usually are at this time of the year. I suppose it is the current financial stringency that seems to be affecting all of us.” Many more vehicles are on the road today than there were a year ago. The number of registered cars has increased by 28,000 and other vehicles by 11,000. Reports from district officers of. the Transport Department indicate that traffic volumes on rural highways and roads are !->wer than at this time last year, and that motorists are making shorter trips. Less Petrol Used There tore indications, too, that petrol consumption last month dropped by about 7 per cent, compared with that in November, 1957. But the general expectation is that traffic volumes will show a big increase over the holiday period. By using their cars less at present motorists appear to be saving steadily for a holiday trip. December is usually the worst month for road deaths, as traffic builds up to its peak around

Christmas and the New Year. But in the first week of the month this year there were only three road deaths—compared with eight during the same week last year. They were one-third of the average for the last four years. Only one week—in the middle of October —has shown a lower tally for road deaths this year. The highest week was the first week in April, when 16 persons died in road accidents. Up till December 9 total deaths this year were 359, one more than the figure for the same period last year. Holiday motorists this year are also given a greater incentive to drive more carefully and safely —an amendment to the law a few months ago makes the minimum licence disqualification, in addition to fines or imprisonment, much stiffer than in the past. Here are some of the minimum cancellation periods:— Three years for a first offence, and 10 years for a second or subsequent offence; of driving while under the influence of drink. One year tor negligent or reckless driving, even where no injury is caused. Careless or inconsiderate driving brings a period of disqualification at the discretion of the Court. r

Three months’ cancellation is the minimum for serious offences under the 1956 regulations, such as not keeping to the left .or passing at blind bends or crossing the continuous white line while overtaking. . . > .