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Advice Given To Drivers

Human errors were the greatest cause of accidents and by defensive driving techniques it was possible to prevent them, said the district superintendent of the Ministry of Transport in Christchurch (Mr A. I. Garriock) yesterday.

He warned that over the Christmas and New Year holidays traffic would be heavy on all roads. There should be no need to hurry or be an aggressive driver. By showing consideration to others and by being courteous, drivers could create a better atmosphere for safe and pleasant driving. Caravans and trailers tended to slow traffic and cause following drivers to be impatient, said Mr Garriock. He urged the drivers of cars towing such vehicles to have a rear vision mirror fitted so that there was a good view to

the rear and not just alongside.

“Convoys can increase rapidly behind caravans and slower moving vehicles and from past experience the fault is attributable to the second driver in the convoy not availing himself of the opportunity to pass in safety when the opportunity presents itself,” he said.

It was easy and safe on numerous occasions to pass one vehicle but not two or more. By the second vehicle in the line overtaking, when it was safe and as soon as possible, it would be easier for the others to follow and make the traffic flow smoothly.

Mr Garriock asked motorists not to travel too close to the vehicle ahead. ■ “At this time of the year drivers should be more alert than usual. They cannot afford to relax as they are responsible for their passengers and for other road users. It is their duty to deliver their passengers at the end of a journey in a relaxed frame of mind and not as nervous wrecks.” Mr Garriock said the de-

partment’s full traffic force i would be on duty over the I holiday period and that more patrols would be used on all c main routes. f Departmental officers would s conduct several behavioural d studies on seat belt and head- 1 light use and on the number I of vehicles towing caravans and trailers. t He said that traffic officers s would clamp on all forms of s dangerous driving. They e would be working long hours a to ensure safe and pleasant t driving for the majority of motorists. f Last year two persons were v killed in the traffic district administered by department- h al officers in Christchurch, a Throughout the Dominion h there were 20 deaths from 16 a road accidents. a Pedestrians were involved r in 10 accidents last Christ- o mas and animals were responsible for five. t The first half-hour of rain a after a long dry spell would t; cause the most dangerous o road-surface conditions motor- o ists would encounter during t the holidays, said the chief 1 highway engineer for the Min- t

istry of Works (Mr F. A. Langbein). Rain mixed with dust and oil drippings on the road surface to form a highly-slippery scum which was extremely dangerous to drive on, particularly at dry-road speeds, Mr Langbein said. Rubber manufacturers in the United States, who had studied the problem extensively, said that the danger existed for 15 to 30 minutes after rain started, or up to an hour in light drizzle. Only when enough rain had fallen to wash the scum away would the hazard diminish. “When the road is wet, hydroplaning is another hazard,” Mr Langbein said. “This happens when the wheels of a vehicle at certain speeds actually lose contact with the road and skim along on a film of water. “While several factors contribute to hydroplaning, such as condition of tyre tread, tyre pressure, amount of water on the road, road surface and others, the most reliable way to avoid it is to slow down. Hydroplaning can occur on all types of road surface.”

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19681226.2.9

Bibliographic details

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31871, 26 December 1968, Page 1

Word Count
648

Advice Given To Drivers Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31871, 26 December 1968, Page 1

Advice Given To Drivers Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31871, 26 December 1968, Page 1