HOLIDAY MOTOR ACCIDENTS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 80, 28 December 1940, Page 10

HOLIDAY MOTOR ACCIDENTS

Few In Wellington District The chief traffic inspector, Wellington, Mr. L. S. Drake, yesterday reported that the accident record for the Christmas holidays had so far been very good. Unfortunately it was not a clean record, for on Monday night a car struck and seriously injured a member of th-e tramway staff while he was on duty in Kent Terrace. The bad weather on Christmas Eve could easily have led to a crop of street accidents, but, thanks to the good sense and careful driving of motorists, it was a good night after all. Speaking of the effect of enlistment upon the city traffic ofiice, Mr. Drake said that, in proportion to numbers, that department had contributed as many men as any section of the city service. When the Exhibition opened the regular staff of 30 was augmented by 20 temporary men, though some of these men did not remain with the department for long. Of the temporary men six now remained on the traffic staff, but. 14 of the regular inspectors were on active service and two had left the city service for other centres. The transport section of the engineer’s department had also felt the effect of enlistment greatly, for several of the senior men were early away. The reduction in the staff of inspectors—almost to half of the pre-war strength—naturally threw more work and responsibility upon the men on duty, for traffic in the city bad not been greatly reduced, but they were able to carry on, largely because of the very good relations which had been built up between motorists and the inspectorate.