Vehicles too fast, too close

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33676, 28 October 1974, Page 14

Vehicles too fast, too close

Drivers were travelling too fast and following too closely said Senior Traffic Officer G. Hood y esterday .

The Ministry of Transport was concerned about the effects of the rain on Christchurch roads yesterday afternoon. I Greater care was needed, said Senior Traffic Officer Hood, because the wet roads meant that it took a car longer to stop and motorists; were not allowing a sufficient safety margin between cars.; Traffic was heavy on the State highways north and south of Christchurch at the beginning of Labour Day week-end. Between 4.30 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on j Saturday there were 14 serious accidents, two of them serious. The roads were also bus yesterday. In the city the traffic has been relatively light over the last two days, except for New Brighton when shoppers caused congestion on Saturday. ACCIDENTS Yesterday there were seven accidents in Christchurch although none is thought to have caused serious injury. Mary Christine O’Brien, aged 20, of 291 Racecourse Road, Invercargill, suffered; head injuries when a car struck six parked cars in! Ham Road about 1.30 p.m.! yesterday. Her condition in Christ-; church Hospital last evening! was satisfactory. Ross Keswick, aged 18, of 24 Coleman Terrace, Napier,! suffered leg injuries when he fell from his motor-cycle in! New Brighton Road about; 4.45 p.m. on Saturday. He was in a comfortable condition in Christchurch Hospital last evening. A downpour about 4.30) p.m. yesterday may have! helped cause an accident at! the intersection of Keyes) Road and Hawke Street, New Brighton. In other parts of Christ-! church, especially north, near! Belfast and as far away as Rangiora, the downpour;

turned into a hailstorm. Visibility became so bad that some motorists had to stop ASHBURTON Most holiday week-end traffic on the main highway through the Ashburton county was disregarding the 50 miles an hour speed limit, and there had been long lines of vehicles all travelling over the limit, Traffic Sergeant A. S. Dando said yesterday. Their speed was not much above the limit, mostly about 60 miles an hour, said Mr Dando. The restriction had been hard to enforce, however, because of the long lines of traffic. Traffic generally had been well behaved. 80 MJ’.H, One of the worst examples of driving involved a motorist checked at more than 80

miles an hour in a 30 mib t an hour area of the boroug Jon Saturday evening. The ioffender had a blood sample j taken. Seventy-nine traffic offence ’ notices were issued to motor- ’ ists, 56 of them for accident j promoting offences Four sei Jof keys were taken fror I drivers suspected of havin': 1 consumed liquor, and fivr ’ drivers had blood samples ’ taken. )| WEST COAST 1 On the West Coast there J was heavy rain on Saturday * night and yesterday. A slip ’ came down on the State high- > way near Reefton. a section suitable only for one-way 1 traffic, and motorists were warned of slippers conditions at Meybelle Bay on the Coast ; Road to Westport, where t there are road construction ) works.