North Island’s Most Dangerous Roads

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 72, 18 December 1937, Page 24

North Island’s Most Dangerous Roads

'J'be rural stretches of road where accidents are most frequent are from Hamilton to Auckland, from Wellington to Waikanac, Palmerston North to Wanganui, Dnnnevirke to Takapau, Tlawera to New Plymouth, and Napier to Hastings. The above map illustrates graphically the density of road accidents in different parts of the North Island. “These are not the badly surfaced, narrow, tortuous roads, but the flat, straight, inviting stretches ot well-formed highway,” commented the Minister of Transport, Hon. R. Semple, in a statement yesterday. stretches of highway have been built to afford the motorist the maximum safety and the minimum running cost. lhey should be safety zones, but can be turned into danger zones by the speed hog, who is a menace to society.” . The Minister stressed the need for careful driving at Christmas. “Three of the fatalities during the IJdb Christmas week-end were caused by motor-vehicles getting out of control and capsizing or crashing oyer banks on mam highways, and there were 25 other casualties, many of them serious, from this cause, between last Christmas and New year, he sauL t ] lOUK ]j there will be an all-night patrol by traffic inspectors on Christmas Eve, these stretches of main highway will be carrying a very much greater traffic than normally, and the greatest possible care is necessary. Many drivers will be tired after li heavy day’s work and will be tempted to hurry with overloaded vehicles to get to a distant destination. Twenty-four traffic deaths have occurred in the period between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day since 1930, and of these Christmas Eve is easily the most, dangerous. _ . “These observations regarding the danger of straight stretches of highway carrying heavy trailic apply equally in the South Island as in the North.” said Mr. Semple. “The moral Is for Christmas motorists to realise that, main highways arc carrying the heaviest traffic of theyear on Christmas Eve; for them to start early, not to hurry, to stop when they feel fatigued and, above all, to be careful and courteous to other road users.”