GO-KARTS ON ROADS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29227, 10 June 1960, Page 16

GO-KARTS ON ROADS

Appeal For Ban The national council of the New Zealand Go-Kart Federation is making representations to the Government to prohibit go-karts from public roads, except under road closure conditions or with special permission from the Transport Department, said the federation’s national president (Mr B. H. Paton) commenting yesterday on the recent traffic case against a go-kart driver in Tauranga. The practice of driving gokarts on public roads was thoroughly condemned at both the North Island and South Island go-kart association conferences, said Mr Paton.

Under the disciplinary rules of the federation, a competition gokart driver could be penalised for driving on a public road, except under the special conditions mentioned.

There was no indication in the court report from Tauranga whether the youth concerned was a competition driver, and It stated that the machine used did not comply with federation specifications, said Mr Paton. The New Zealand specifications were adopted after several months of experience and consideration of all points in go-kart design. Testimony to the wisdom of these specifications was found in an unconfirmed report from the United States that the national go-kart association in that country—the Go-kart Club of America—had adopted the New Zealand wheelbase dimensions as standard, said Mr Paton. There were three places tn New Zealand where clubs, not affiliated to the national federation, had encouraged the practice of go-karts being registered as motor-vehicles.

“This is shockingly bad,” he said, “because it encourages gokarts to be used on highways. Go-karts are not designed for use on highways. Drivers of buses and other high vehicles cannot see the low-slung go-karts on their left-hand side.” Tauranga, however, was not one of the three places where registration of go-karts as motorvehicles was encouraged.

Mr Paton said that although the subject of go-karts on public roads was raised at the last meeting of the New Zealand Road Safety Council, no action was taken, possibly because the council was not in possession of the subject’ of the federation’s proposed representations.