Warning To Drivers

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 24

Warning To Drivers

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 9. A warning of the close connection between alcohol and road deaths was made today by the Minister of Transport. (Mr Gordon) in a statement supporting a special road safety campaign next week.

The Minister said the “drinking and driving” campaign would be sponsored by the Ministry of Transport in association with local-authority traffic departments and road safety committees. “The campaign is an educational one aimed at assisting all road users to realise the effect of alcohol on their ability to use our roads safely,” he said. “Alcohol is a distinct cause

of road accidents," said the Minister. “Last year intoxicated road users caused a very minimum of 550 accidents, in which 83 persons were killed and 800 Injured. These were cases where the offending driver, cyclist or pedestraian was clearly intoxicated. “We know that alcohol slows reactions, affects eye sight and distorts judgment, at levels well below those at which a person is normally considered drunk, and we know that these effects make accident avoidance much more difficult. “Investigation of all death and injury accidents last year shows that at least 1700 drivers, 200 pedestrians and 30 cyclists had taken liquor before they were involved in accidents. While these people were not all intoxicated in the usual sense of the word, they would all have been affected so that their ability to use the roads safely was impaired to some extent “As a result of these accidents 198 persons died and 3241 were injured. “These figures show that alcohol was present in 38 per cent of all road deaths last year. A careful study of the confidential reports my officers make to me on each fatal accident indicates that in the officers’ opinion alcohol has been present in nearly 40 per cent of the fatal road accidents so far this year. “All road users must be made fully aware of the hazards involved in driving, riding or walking on our roads when they have been drinking,” said the Minister