She says. . .

Press, 9 November 1978, Page 21

She says. . .

My comments about local driving habits have brought a response from one reader, S. Dunne, who writes of driving in Melbourne. In contrast to Christchurch. changing lanes there is no problem, because everyone signals, and allows others to “filter in” to the traffic stream.

Not so, of course, here, where it seems a point of honour to keep the other driver (1) guessing, and (2) shut out of the traffic flow for as long as possible. Above all, writes the reader, there is more enforcement of driving “manners” and much, much more courtesy.

Quite so. I’d say that courtesy and the general standard of driving “manners” has much more to do with our accident rate than the scapegoats — speed, drink, car condition — that political spokesmen seek so keenly. After all, courtesy must forbid cutting in, dangerous overtaking, failing to signal, and other ways of endangering others by bad road behaviour. Surely.

Several years ago one of the service clubs, if I remember rightly, ran a “Courtesy is contagious” road safety campaign, with prizes and brickbats for notable acts of courtesy' or rudeness, and bumper stickers, advertisements, and support from the the.i Transport Department and. I think, the newspapers, which ran pictures of examples of deplorable road manners.

Thered be no trouble getting a good selection of such pictures any day in this city.

This campaign is well worth repeating. Organised properly, supported by the media' with photographs, articles, films, and so forth — and supported by the traffic enforcement people, who could issue both courtesy and discourtesy certificates as well as the usual “tickets” — I think such a campaign could do a great deal of good. Somehow we’ve got to get the need for courtesy home to all drivers, not just to the few who take an interest in road safety, who don’t regard themselves as omnipotent and indestructible on the roads, and beyond any driving improvement. We all get angry and discourteous at times when driving. That makes us a risk to ourselves and others. Let us recognise it and do something aboui it. Ordinary people have accidents; let’s stop blaming the evil and mythical "other fellow” all the time. — BARBARA PETRE.