Road Toll 550—Nine Behind Last Year

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31256, 31 December 1966, Page 1

Road Toll 550—Nine Behind Last Year

(New Zealand Press Association)

WANGANUI, December 30.

A boy died in the Wanganui Hospital today as the result of injuries suffered in a car accident near Mangamahu on Thursday afternoon.

His death brings the total road toll over the Christmas - New Year holiday period to six, compared with a total of 16 for the same period last year. The boy killed was Ross Andrew Henderson, aged 14, whose parents live at Akikai Farm, Mangamahu. Ross was a passenger in a car driven by his mother. The car left the road near Wylie’s bridge, a few miles from Mangamahu, and hit a tree stump. The death of another person, injured in a crash at Pukekohe on December 17, brings the road toll for the year to 550—nine short of last year’s figure, with one day to go. Call For Care The Assistant Commissioner of Transport, Mr B. C. Campbell, said: “With only one day to go, this year’s death toll now seems unlikely to reach last year’s record toll. “This could be made a cer-

tainty by extreme vigilance from all motorists, cyclists and pedestrians."

A Transport Department spokesman said: “People were horrified last year 'when the total of traffic deaths jumped from 428 in the previous year, to 559. “In the first four months of this year the number of deaths were 54 fewer than for the comparable period of 1965. But May and October tolls —61 and 62 respectively —set new records for individual months. “As 1966 progressed the gap between the total for each comparable month lessened, and in the closing months of 1966 they exceeded those for 1965.

“An extensive publicity campaign helped to reduce the numbers, but 550 deaths per year in a country the size of New Zealand, reflects little credit on the drivers. ‘“Bad weather creates hazardous driving conditions and the department warns all drivers to keep their speed down, not to follow other cars too closely, and above all, not

to overtake unless they can do so in complete safety.”

Fatally Hurt

An 18-year-old student died after his motor-cycle hit the back of a truck on the Hast-ings-Havelock road at 10 p.m. yesterday. He was Roger Francis Darroch, of 25 Ellison road, Havelock North.

He suffered multiple injuries in the collision, which occurred in heavy rain, and died before he reached hospital. It was the third fatal motor accident in Hawke’s Bay in four days. Car Hit Pole

A man and his five young children, aged from five years to 10, escaped serious injury in Avondale this morning when their car hit a power pole, splitting it almost in two, and came to rest in a front garden. The driver, Mr R. W. Fleet, suffered injuries to his nose. The children were uninjured. All were taken to Auckland Hospital for examination.

The 61-foot New Zealand sloop Fidelis last night took line honours in the annual 640-mile Sydney to Hobart yacht race, says the New Zealand Press Association from Hobart. With her red, white and blue spinnaker billowing, Fidelis crossed the finishing line at 7.38 p.m. (9.38 p.m. New Zealand time). Fidelis now appears to stand a good chance of winning outright. When she finished she was about 70 miles ahead of her nearest rivals, the 46ft New South Wales sloop, Balandra, and the 50ft sloop Bacchus D, which were running into a dying breeze. Sailed, By Owner Fidelis is skippered by her owner, Mr J. V. Davern, a 35-year-old Auckland contractor. He said before the race started that he entered to gain experience in ocean racing and to pioneer New Zealand’s entry into the SydneyHobart race. He also wanted to defeat the United States 66ft cutter Nam Sang for line honours. “Nam Sang’s skipper, John Thompson, could not race against Fidelis when he visited New Zealand before he sailed to Sydney for the race," Mr Davern said. “I wanted to match Fidelis against Nam Sang to interest New Zealand yachtsmen in ocean racing, but Thompson dodged me in a suggested match race.” Eighty-mile Lead

Fidelis has set the biggest lead recorded in a Sydney-to-Hobart race. At one stage on Thursday she was 80 miles ahead of her nearest rival. Fidelis, designed for harbour racing, led the fleet a few hours after clearing Syd-, ney Harbour at 11.30 a.m. on Monday and has edged ahead of rivals.

Fidelis took nearly 24 hours to reach the finish from the position Bacchus D and Balandra were believed to be in when darkness fell.

The 37-foot Queensland sloop Mr Christian, which earlier was favoured to beat Fidelis on handicap, lost some ground. Late yesterday afternoon she and the 34-foot Auckland sloop Poseidon were still north of Schouten Island, more than 75 miles from the finish. Ahead of them, but further out to sea, was the Tasmanian entry Huon Lass, which probably stands the best chance of taking the race on handicap if an easterly comes in during the hours of darkness.