‘Senseless Killing Of Road Users’

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30536, 3 September 1964, Page 10

‘Senseless Killing Of Road Users’

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, September 2.

“The senseless killing of road users has reached alarming proportions in the last three months and unless there is a substantial improvement in the coming months, it is estimated that New Zealand’s 1964 road toll could reach 420,” the Minister of Transport (Mr McAlpine) said today.

There were 43 persons killed in road accidents during August, the highest toll for this month recorded. Road deaths for the first eight months of this year had reached 300, compared with 267 for the comparable period last year. There had been 122 persons killed in the three winter months, and the number killed during July (43) was also the worst for that month. “These figures prove conclusively that road users are simply not taking sufficient care on the roads,” said the Minister. “The main increases in road deaths have been among drivers and passengers, cyclists and pedestrians with the week-ends showing up as the most deadly period.” The Minister said that as far as drivers were concerned the number of singlevehicle accidents so far this year raised the question as to whether motorists were driving too fast either for prevailing conditions or for their own ability. Single-vehicle accidents were those where the car ran off the road, went over a bank or overturned More than a quarter of the

■ fatal accidents so far this ! year had involved only one ■ vehicle. I “Reading the reports of. t these so-called accidents durl ing the year, I have become i more convinced than ever I that in many instances they ! cannot be termed accidents ! but are the results of drivers, ■ pedestrians or cyclists failing 1 to observe the elementary i rules of the road,” said Mr McAlpine. - The Minister said that the : next four months would be a t testing period. “Better driv- : ing conditions can be expects ed in the coming months, but i past experience has shown - that this advantage is offset s to a very large extent by the ! increase in traffic on the ’ roads, particularly at weeks ends.”