STILL TOO OFTEN IN TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 178, 26 April 1938, Page 8

STILL TOO OFTEN IN TROUBLE

Young Road Users

BAD HABITS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO GROW Having put the measuring rod of statistics on the young road users of New Zealand, the Transport Department has found evidence that they are keeping out of trouble a little more than they used to, but are still not careful enough. Figures relative to accidents to persons under 20 years of age during the last nine months of 1937 have been issued, and seem to show a small general reduction in accidents to young pedestrians and cyclists, although a small increase in cyclist accidents, occurred toward the end of the period. Motor-cyclists also became involved in more accidents toward the latter end of the period.

The department estimates that when the statistics for the 12 months are completed, there will have been 1300 casualties, an average of 25 a week. It comments that, although the accidents to people under 20 are only 25 per cent, of the total, “they are numerous enough to cause concern. Too many young people are acquiring bad road habits, which they will carry into adult life to increase the accident problem in later years.” Cyclists Head the List.

Two in every nine of the 949 accidents in the nine months were serious or fatal. Cyclists, including 12 passengers on bicycles, head the list with 320 accidents, equalling 33 per cent, of the total. Next are young drivers (33) and passengers in motor-vehicles (248), together equalling 30 per cent. Pedestrians (194) accounted for 20 per cent., and motor-cyclists (103) and pillionriders (44), together equal 15 per cent. The statistics show that the wofst ages are 19 years (133 casualties) ; 18 years (111) ; 16'years (100); 17 years, (90); 15 years (73); 6 years (48); 14 years (47); 13 years (46); and 7 years (40). ' ' . The outstanding feature of the pedestrian accidents, the bulletin states, is that 60 of them (5 fatal, 14 serious, and 41 minor) resulted from children under 10 years of age running on to or across the roadway. Emerging from behind a stationary vehicle, resulting in 34 accidents, was the next most serious cause. For all persons under 20,years of age these two causes alone were primarily responsible for over half the total number of accidents. Playing or loitering on the road accounted for 22 accidents, of which 15 were in respect of children between 5 and 9 yeans of age. Dangerous Ages. Pedestrians between 11 and 14 years of age suffer very few accidentsbut at age 11 the accidents to cyclists become more numerous, and rise steadily to their peak at age 16. Motor-cycle accidents appear at age 15, and rise steadily to age 19. . The danger of cyclists speeding down a grade preventing the rider from yielding the right of way at an intersection, throwing him out wide at a bend, oi' causing him to apply his brakes suddenly and fall or skid as the alternative to a collision, is suggested by the fact that nearly onethird of the accidents happened on a grade or at the end of a grade.

In .277 cases it was possible to apportion the responsibility between motordriver and cyclist clearly. The cyclist was responsible for six of the eight fatal accidents, 40 out of the 50 serious accidents, and 156 out of the 219 accidents causing minor injury, or 202 out of the 277. The cyclist was thus responsible for nearly three-fourths of the accidents. Including another 26 accidents, where the responsibility was divided, it is found that the cyclist was either wholly or partly responsible for three-fourths of the 308 accidents surveyed.

One in every eight accidents was due to failure of the cyclist to signal before turning at an intersection or through turning suddenly or swerving on a straight stretch of road. Next in. order were failure to keep to the left; failure to yield the right of way to vehicles coming from the right at intersections, and excessive speed. In addition there were 61 cases of general carelessness covering also inexperience where young riders were concerned, which includq a good many cases of cyclists riding close behind a motorvehicle and striking the rear of the latter upon its stopping suddenly. Riding straight off the footpath into the way of a passing motor-vehicle was another fairly common breach. Tho carelessness or recklessness to which some cyclists are prone is demonstrated by the fact that 17 cyclists ran into parked vehicles, generally in daylight. Friday Unlucky. The worst day for accidents to young cyclists is 'Friday and there is very little difference among the other days including Sunday. Friday is also the Worst day for youthful pedestrians. Discussing motor-cycle accidents the bulletin remarks that out of every five riders of motor-cycles injured, two were pillion-riders. It points out that motor-cycles are ridden two and a half times as far solo as they are ridden with two up. What Should be Done. In addition to the work which is being carried on generally throughout the schools, supplemented, in some arpas, by lectures by traffic officers and automobile association officers, further special intensive efforts are considered by the Transport and Education Departments to be desirable in those areas where the accidents ’to pedestrians and push-cyclists, particularly the latter, are most frequent. It is necessary, too, the bulletin states, that those with children in their care should realise the importance of their children observing a high standard of conduct on the street or road, and the importance, in the interests of the child’s own safety and his acquiring an adequate knowledge of the traffic rules and of his observing those rules. The need is constant throughout the child’s life, and especially between the ages of four and 10 years for pedestrians and from 11 onward for push-cyclists. Dangerous Things to Do. The Transport Department wants children warned against running on to or across the roadway; emerging from behind a stationary vehicle; stepping from the footpath; and playing on the roadway. Children who ride cycles should be warned against failure to signal, in good time, before turning to the right at an intersection; turning suddenly or swerving into or in front of a motorvehicle elsewhere than at an inter- ' section; failure to keep to the left on straight stretches of road, at bends, or when turning left from one road into another; failure to yield the right of way to vehicles coming from the right

at intersections; and excessive speed, especially on grades and more especially where there are crossroads. Drivers and motor-cyclists, it is stated, should realise the liability of young children to act impulsively and be on the alert where children are walking along or across the roadway, or even where they are on the footpath. " The inexperience of young cyclists, and the tendency of them (and of some older cyclists) to do the “unexpected” are points all drivers should realise. An additional hazard affecting the safety of push-cyclists and pedestrians on the roadway at night exists when a driver is dazzled by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. Ten accidents of this kind happened to cyclists and pedestrians in the nine months. Further similar accidents wil be obviated if drivers realise that their duty in similar circumstances is to stop, the department’s warning concludes.