Heavier Penalties Cause Big Drop In Road Deaths

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28936, 2 July 1959, Page 8

Heavier Penalties Cause Big Drop In Road Deaths

(New Zealand Press Association)

. WELLINGTON, July 1. The increased penalties introduced last year for traffic violations have had a dramatic effect on road safety, the Commissioner of Transport (Mr H. B. Smith) told the Wellington Justices of the Peace Association today. From September last when the new legislation was introduced, to last month there were 251 road deaths, the lowest recorded for a similar period in five years. In the corresponding period in the previous year 308 had died from road accidents, said Mr Smith. In the six months ended June there had been a drop of 40 in the number of road deaths compared with the first six months of last year—the biggest drop ever recorded. “But we still cannot afford to let up on our road safety measure,” he said.

Road accidents were responsible for the biggest percentage of deaths in the 15-to-24 age group. In 1957, 77 youths and 44 girls died as a result of road accidents. In the 25-to-44 age group, road accidents dropped to third place as a major cause of death. The Transport Department was watching closely the results of it, experiments in Palmerston North where of more than 100 secondary pupils trained to drive by departmental officers not one had so far been involved in an accident. Analysing the occurrence of accidents, Mr Smith said by far the biggest number of accidents occurred on straight stretches of road. Half the cars involved in fatal accidents were travelling less than 30 miles an hour which suggested they were still travel-' ling faster than conditions warranted.