Road deaths down, but injuries up

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34132, 20 April 1976, Page 18

Road deaths down, but injuries up

Although Easter week-end road deaths are well down on last year about a third more people have been seriously injured.

Seventy-one persons had been badly injured by Sunday night—compared with 54 at the corresponding time of the holiday last year—despite a drop in the number of accidents, the Press Association reports. The number of deaths over Easter stood at eight last night compared with last Easter's total of 15. It is four fewer than the number killed in the corresponding period

last year. The toll for the year is 164, compared with 175 at the corresponding time last year. A Ministry of Transport spokesman said last night that it appeared careful driving coupled with the fine weather during the first half of the week-end had led to the reduced number of accidents over that period. However, more people were tested for excess bloodalcohol levels — 198 during the first half of the week-end (124). The Ministry urged urivers to keep within the line of traffic in view of the large numbers of vehicles on the roads. “Passing saves little time and is dangerous in crowded conditions,” said a Ministry spokesman. The Ministry emphasised the importance of following a safe distance behind other vehicles — especially when reactions were dulled by long periods of driving. Clich quiet Christchurch had a quiet Easter week-end on the roads with fewer accidents than last year — but with 480 offence notices issued up to 8 a.m. on Sunday. Senior Traffic Officer W. J. Noster, of the Ministry of Transport, said traffic' had been light in the city and generally well behaved. No fatal accidents were reported up to Sunday morning, but of the 16 accidents reported, four caused serious injury. Eighteen accidents, none fatal, occurred in the same period last year. Traffic was very heavy on roads leading into Christchurch with cars driving bumper-to-bumper on the Main South Road. The light rain that began falling yesterday afternoon did not cause any immediate problems, but Mr Noster said that if motorists continued to speed in the rain then more accidents might result. Hit power pole A young Hamilton man died of head injuries early

yesterday after his car collided with a power pole r» State Highway 22 at Pukekohe. He was John Ravmond Davies, aged 18, single. Mr Davies was the sole occupant of the car. Passenger dies A young woman passenger died at Raumati in a car travelling south on State Highway 1. The car left the road and overturned halfway between Poplar Avenue, Raumati, and McKay’s Crossing. She wasMiss Julia Louise Toolejy aged 21, of Seatoun, Wellington. The accident happened" about 12.40 a.m. The car went through a fence and rolled into a ditch, landing in about 1.2 m of water.' Miss Tooley was thrown partly out .of the car and partly pinned underneath and is believed to have drowned. The driver, Miss M. A. Van Zweeden, aged 22, of Hataitai. suffered a suspected fractured leg and was taken by ambulance to Wellington Hospital. Boy run over A five-year-old boy was killed at Island Bay, Wellington, on Sunday when he fell from the running board of a milk truck and was run over. He was Campbell Sinclair, ,of Liffey Street, Island Bay. The police said the boy fell under the wheels of the truck when attempting to jump on to the running board. Man named A New Plymouth man killed in a car collision near Te Kuiti last Thursday was Alan David Mclsaac, aged 50, also known as Alan David Mclver, of Ocean View Parade. His name was released by the police at Te Kuiti yesterday.