Accident research unit urged

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32603, 11 May 1971, Page 24

Accident research unit urged

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WELLINGTON, May 10.

A traffic accident research unit was urgently needed in New Zealand, said the national president of the Automobile Association (Mr J. B. Horrocks) in Wellington.

The unit would investigate road accident causes and devise preventive measures. Legislation and statutory regulations were not enough to improve road safety, he said. A foundation for traffic safety could be established to provide supplementary finance and encouragement for road safety projects.

There should also be an advisory council to advise the Minister and the Secretary for Transport on road accident prevention and research. Mr Horrocks said the association had no wish to duplicate research done overseas, but "every country has its own habits, problems and idiosyncracies which require assessment, investigation and development of solutions.” Research was particularly needed into the skills used in driving, the relationship between traffic system demands and human skills, the social and cultural environment, especially regarding behavi-

I our patterns of young, i drivers, and law enforcement penalties and their effects on the accident frequency. , The general secretary of the Automobile Association (Mr R. W. Lithgow), said: “The present economic squeeze was no excuse for delaying such a move in view of the huge road toll, which totalled some ssom a year.”: The unit would either incorporate or have full access'

to the statistics section of the, Ministry of Transport and! would require an annual budget of about $250,000. Mr Horrocks said the initial requirement was not so much for funds but for staff. The monetary’ requirements would grow as did the unit. However, it would probably be difficult to obtain and build up the staff required to do the research.

The unit would need about 10 key staff plus general staff Mr Horrocks said there were too few uniformed traffic officers on the roads. He also said motorways were becoming increasingly difficult for adequate policing by road. There should be experiments with the use of helicopters for traffic surveillance and other new methods to cope with the increasing volume of traffic. He repeated the call that wearing of safety belts should be made compulsory. Initially this requirement could be enforced on motorways. An intensive publicity cam-

paign to educate people about wearing safety belts would be essential.