The Press TUESDAY, JULY 28, 1959. Everyone Should Practise Road Courtesy

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28958, 28 July 1959, Page 12

The Press TUESDAY, JULY 28, 1959. Everyone Should Practise Road Courtesy

Everyone who uses the streets of Christchurch should think seriously this week about how he can contribute to the success of the road courtesy campaign. This is not something that concerns only motorists and cyclists: pedestrians very definitely can increase their safety and that of others on the road by simple good manners. If most emphasis tends to be put on the conduct of motorists that is because, while protected themselves, they have heavy fast-moving machines that can cause serious damage and injury. Perhaps the best lesson a motorist can teach himself this week is appreciation of the limitations of others. They may not be such skilled or confident drivers as he is; they may be only learning to drive or to ride a bicycle; they may be pedestrians with unobserved infirmities or slow reactions If he learns this lesson the motorist will be less inclined to insist on what he believes to be the letter of his rights—and a lot less likely to be in the position of blaming someone else for an accident he could have avoided. It is an excellent thing to drive well; it is a better thing to drive both well and courteously. As for pedestrians, they might well consider that more than their own safety is concerned. By loitering on crossings or jaywalking they may distract the attention of a motorist and lead him into danger. But in Christchurch the road user who can most profitably be more courteous is often the

cyclist, particularly the young cyclist. Their very mobility gives cyclists the opportunity to flout laws and conventions with some degree of safety; but they should know that by darting in and out of traffic and swooping across pedestrian crossings they hamper and irritate other road users. Many cyclists will take this campaign seriously; some may need to have the significance of the campaign pointed out to them by parents, teachers, and employers. Courtesy on the road should not, of course, be limited to a single week in the year. The idea is that if road users think seriously this week of the consideration they expect from others (and that they should therefore show others) they will be better companions on the streets and highways for the rest of the year. If everyone co-operates in this, Christchurch should really be able to do something about its appalling accident record, easily the worst in New Zealand last year and a reproach to its citizens. The high proportion of cyclists and the frequency of intersections are not excuses for so bad a showing in a flat city with few unusual traffic difficulties. Obedience to the traffic laws would do much to make our streets safer; plain common sense and thoughtfulness ’ for others would probably do more. By the exercise of these qualities Christchurch could become a good example instead of a warning to others.