MOVE TO MAKE ROADS SAFE

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 42, 13 November 1936, Page 10

MOVE TO MAKE ROADS SAFE

National Council’s

Campaign

CONSTRUCTIVE PLANS

Educating Motorists To Observe Caution

Comprehensive plans making for the elimination of road accidents were considered at the second meeting of the New Zealand Road Safety Council, which was held in Wellington yesterday. The Minister of Transport, Hon. R. Semple, presided. The meeting will be continued to-day. Reports were submitted by several of the sub-committees set up at a previous meeting of the council. Most of the morning was occupied in discussing the report of the sub-committee dealing with adult education and propaganda, which outlined in detail, a programme for the dissemination of information. It is proposed, among other things, to utilise the Press, radio, picture theatres, and posters. The effects of alcohol on drivers were analysed by two prominent medical men and an expert psychologist. Questioned by the council, both doctors agreed that the amount of liquor that could safely be consumed-by a man before driving varied according to circumstances and the constitution of the man. Both further agreed that it would be impossible to formulate a standard rule which would be applicable to all drivers.

One doctor expressed the opinion that there should be a more rigorous test for the physical fitness of drivers, and suggested that all drivers over 60 years of age should be medically examined annually before their licences were re-issued. Opening the meeting, Mr. Semple said the reports indicated that the committees had been very active, and they reflected great credit on the committees. The position on the roads had improved since the new legislation was put in force. He was certain that the psychological effect played no small part in bringing that about. One of the principal tasks of the council would be to examine the existing traffic laws between now and the next session of Parliament, so that anomalies could be removed. He had not put the proposed draft regulations before the House as he thought the proposals should be seriously considered by the council first. The Minister referred to the proposal to take over the traffic control of boroughs with a population of under 6000. One of the difficulties, he said, was that in some of the boroughs anyone could get a licence. The Wellington City Council, for instance, was rather strict, but if a candidate failed in . the Wellington council test he could go to an outside local body and next day have a licence, without being put through any trial; he simply had a licence handed to him. That was not confined to any particular locality; it was general throughout New Zealand. It was proposed to have the tests carried out by Main Highways Board traffic inspectors. Mentioning that 1500 applications had been received for the vacancies for seven inspectors, the Minister said that many had come to him thinking he made the’ selection. He had nothing to do with that; it was the Public Service Commissioner’s job. It was suggested by the Commissioner of Transport that all traffic inspectors should be put through a form of tuition before being put on the road. STEPS TO EDUCATE ADULTS Awakening Conscience of Public LONG-RANGE CAMPAIGN PLANNED

Ways and means of awakening the conscience of the people of New Zealand to the consequences of road accidents and securing their co-operation in an effort to eliminate them were described by the adult education and propaganda sub-committee in a report to the council read by the chairman, Mr. F. C. Spratt. The report was adopted. ■’Extravagant expenditure is not suggested by your committee, but the council may feel that somewhat heavy expenditure will be desirable and perhaps unavoidable,” stated the report. ■■An attempt to conduct an educational campaign in anything but a thorough manner may be said to indicate an inadequate appreciation of the humanitarian and other social aspects of the problem, and of the substantial savings which can be made in hospital expenditure, pensions, insurance costs, policing and road expenditure. “We offer the suggestion that parsimony in expenditure upon education and propaganda may not be true economy, and that spasmodic efforts or a short-term programme cannot be expected' to produce lasting results.. We consider that the council should visualise a long-range plan and, in order that it may be seen how effective educational and propaganda methods can be. that a systematic plan of operations for at least one year should be pursued, at the end of which time the desirability or otherwise of continuing action on similar lines can be ascertained in the Ight of the results achieved. As time goes on, provided suitable educational methods are introduced in the schools, the necessity for adult instruction will liecome Jess. , No Gruesome Propaganda. “We are agreed that appeals to the . emotions by the use of gruesome propaganda are generally undesirable. The engendering of fear, with a reaction of daring or contempt of danger as a psychological reaction against fear, is likely Io follow the use of gruesome propaganda. The keynote should be instruction and persuasion. ’’The alternative to a thorough educational and propaganda campaign is that expenditure, heavier than need be, must be maintained, and that the courts must continue to punish. Remedial action through the courts, even if it be preventive in character, is undesirable if it is avoidable, and we think this is a matter which should encage the thoughts of members of the council. Many of those so puiushed " ill be persons whose offences aie due io ignorance, apathy, thoughtlessness or carelessness. It will not be a satisfactory condition if people are caused to feel that, through fear of punishment