“Think Of Passengers” Motorists Asked

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30941, 23 December 1965, Page 17

“Think Of Passengers” Motorists Asked

“Remember your passengers—they are too often the ones who suffer most when accidents occur,” said the district officer of the Transport Department (Mr D. L. Hogan) in a Christmas message to motorists yesterday.

Motorists should consider how they would feel if bad driving on their part caused injury or death to their passengers or to those in another car.

Mr Hogan warned particularly against tiredness when driving. Tiredness at the wheel was a half-brother to drunkeness. he said, and was the cause of many accidents which involved running off the road or hitting power poles. It would be a particular danger during the holiday period when drivers were travelling long distances, and he appealed to motorists to keep the length of their journeys down, make regular rest stops, and to avoid finishing a trip late at night. Tiredness mixed with alcohol was likely to be a fatal brew, Mr Hogan warned. All drivers should make a special effort to be courteous to other road users, and in the inevitable heavy traffic all should be as patient as possible. However, those towing caravans should take care they did not obstruct following traffic, and if necessary should pull off the road and stop to allow faster traffic to pass.

» Those going away for a trip should take care that they did not overload roofracks, and all should make sure

their cars were in good mechanical order.

Mr Hogan said that this Christmas period there would be more traffic officers on the road than previously. They would be using all means possible to prevent accidents and bad driving, and marked cars, plain cars and microwave speed detectors would all be in full use.

The superintendent of the Christchurch City Council traffic department (Mr J. F. Thomas) also reminded motorists of their responsibilities on the road. He asked drivers going to Christmas parties to consider very carefully whether they should be driving, and strongly advised those who were going to drink to find some other means of transport.

Those going on holiday should make sure their vehicles were roadworthy, and this applied as much to caravans and trailers as to cars.

With the onset of the warmer weather the incidence of “gutter-grippers” and those who drove with an elbow out of the window had become very much greater. This was a discourteous and dangerous habit, and drivers had in the past lost arms because of it.

Further, following motorists could easily be deceived into thinking that the driver with his arm out of the window was giving a signal, and thus an accident situation could be created.

He asked that any drivers travelling slowly should take the greatest care to keep well to the left so as to permit other traffic to overtake.

Heavy traffic could be expected during the coming long week-end, and all motorists would need to exercise added care, particularly where following distances were concerned, Mr Thomas said.

He urged all drivers to practise defensive driving to the utmost, and when following other vehicles to keep at least one car length back for every 10 miles an hour of their speed. There would probably be many visitors in the city during the holiday period who were not conversant with the lay-out of the streets or with the closeness of the intersections. All the local drivers should show them courtesy, drive defensively, and expect the unexpected, he said. On behalf of himself and the staff of the city council traffic department, Mr Thomas wished all motorists a happy, safe, and accident-free festive season.