Road Deaths In Australia Soar

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30783, 22 June 1965, Page 9

Road Deaths In Australia Soar

(N.Z. Press Assn. — Copyright) SYDNEY, June 20. Auttralia’s rapidly rising road death toil—there were 44 deaths in Australia last holiday weekend—has shocked many Australians. The week-end slaughter on the roads of the five States, abnormally heavy due to the Queen’s Birthday holiday, was the main topic at a recent

meeting of the New South Wales Cabinet.

It also prompted the New South Wales police commissioner, Mr Norman Allan, to condemn “irresponsible drivers” who, he said, committed “murder by motor vehicle."

In the two main States— New South Wales and Victoria—a tctal of 42 people died, an increase of 15 on the same period last year. 509 Deaths

Already this year in New South Wales there have been 509 deaths, an increase of 30 on last year. In the last 10 years road deaths in Australia have increased by over 50 per cent and the rate of increase shows no sign of slackening.

As more and more motor vehicles appear on Australia’s inadequate roads every day, responsible Australians are seeking to avert further tragedy. Australia's vehicle population is multiplying much fas-

ter than its human population. Vehicles Trebled In the post-war period the number of vehicles registered in Australia has more than trebled from I.olm in 1947 to 3.55 m, when the last official figures were released in August, 1964. This year it is estimated there will be 3.8 m registered vehicles.

Although Asutralia—almost as large as the United States —has approximately half a million miles of roads “used for general traffic,” 63 per cent of this mileage is unsurfaced. They are little more than tracks, said the president of the Australian Automobile Association, Mr C. A. S. Page.

The mileage of sealed roads is only 74.000. or about 14 per cent of the total.