THIRD PARTY RISK

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 154, 26 March 1938, Page 10

THIRD PARTY RISK

Influence Of Road Safety Campaign The effect of the road safety campaign on the new third party risk insurance premiums was referred to in a statement issued yesterday by the Minister of Transport, Hon. 11. Semple, from Walho. “The accident rate per vehicle-inile has substantially decreased in the 18 months since the road safety, campaign commenced,” said Mr. Semple. “During this period 25,000,000 more gallons of petrol were consumed than in the 18 months prior to the campaign. This represents an increase of 24.5 per cent., or an additional traffic mileage of at least 375,000,000 miles. The average number of vehicles registered during the last 18 months is 39,000 greater or an increase of 19.00 per cent, over the average registrations during the period of 18 months prior to the campaign. “With increased traffic there is increased congestion, jind a.much greater risk to each vehicle. In the 18 months before the campaign 333 people were killed on the road- Despite the tremendous increase ins' registration and the additional risk to each car registered the number of deaths during the 18 months of the campaign has actually not increased; in fact, it has deCreased from 333 to 324. This re PJ e * sents a decrease from one death in 4.4 million traffic miles, to one death in 5.7 million traffic miles, or an extra 324.000,000 miles of death-free running. It is interesting to note that in the last 18 months, at an average of , lu miles a gallon, we have travelled 1,830,000,000 miles—and this for a population of only 1,500,000 persons.” .1