The Road Toll

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30946, 30 December 1965, Page 8

The Road Toll

Sir, —You can tell a men-tally-ill person to pull himself together, a criminal to mend his ways, and a delinquent to desist lest he come to a bad end. But all talk is to no avail, and it is equally useless to persuade, exhort, and warn motorists that they must start being good drivers or else. The only psychology used by the Transport Department is psychological warfare—words and statistics, scoldings, and atrocity photographs—all with no more effect than water on a duck’s back. Accidents—almost all of them —are caused by the repeated anti-social behaviour of individuals, so the individual driver must be got at positively. This must be done by a judicial system which is consistent, by clinical examination of the persistent offender, and by training which is scientifically (in this case psychologically) based. Yours, etc., VARIAN J. WILSON. December 28, 1965.

Sir, —The road toll could be cut to a third of the present rate if the Government had the fortitude to enforce a plan. A graph printed in “The Press” earlier this year showed that the greatest number of accidents occurred to people in their teens—insufficient balance. The licences of all drivers under 18 should be cancelled by June 30 next, and the age for obtaining a licence should - be raised to 18. Strictly enforce the 30-miles limit in builtup areas, advance the limit to 60 miles an hour in open country. It should be compulsory to have a Govern-ment-sealed governor on engines preventing speeds of over 60 miles an hour (police, doctors, etc., excepted). Any person found guilty of interfering with a governor, also drunken drivers, should have one month’s gaol, without option. All sales of liquor after 6 p.m. should be banned. —Yours, etc., V. CRAW. Chorlton, Dec. 29, 1965. Traffic Control Sir, A correspondent “M.G.T.,” suggested that the city police should take over the duties of the traffic department. One has never quite understood why it should be

considered more efficient, economical, or smooth-work-ing to have two. if not three, types of police, each, presumably, with a greater or lesser degree of administrative and disciplinary independence, than to have one force responsible to one authority for the preservation of law and order, on or off the roads. Apart from any other consideration, with divided responsibility, there must arise from time to time questions of overlapping or conflicting interests, which, with the best will in the world, can hardly make things easier for those in authority.—Yours, etc., ILAM. December 29, 1965.