SAFETY FIRST

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 125, 29 May 1930, Page 10

SAFETY FIRST

ACCIDENT PREVENTION

THE PART OF LOCAL BODIES.

ECONOMIC VIEWPOINT

There is no question that the amount of publicity and attention which haa been given New Zealand's bad record of accidents, particularly motoring accidents, by judges of tlie Supreme Court, •by the Minister of Transport, in' Press articles, and by the almost daily recording^ more fatalities, must have had a real effect towards reducing the number of accidents, for education, even if it is merely a stressing of numbers of accidents is a great preventer of mores accidents. Stressing pf past accidents, necessary; as it is to awake the country "to the seriousness of the position, is, however, anything but a complete system of education, and it may well be that one re« suit of the conference to be called 4by; the Minister of Transport to discuss accidents and their prevention in •'o widest possible manner upon the ; sum.sjwhat scrappy data available to-dayj (and to discuss also the collection of full data for thj. future), will be a de« cision on the part of someone to launch in the Dominion a safety-first campaign, for the active education of drivers and noii-drivers. N In the Old Country the safety first movement is, well established and has, without the slightest doubt, brought big results. In New Zealand there have been many attempts to launch campaigns, but nothing beyond very temporary activity has resulted.' Most of the campaigns, in fact, have not progressed beyond the discussion stage. Motorists' organisations have made splendid decisions, have drawn up plans, discussed posters and slogans, approached local bodies for co-opera-tion—and then nothing at all. NOBODY'S BUSINESS. Local bodies generally do not regard safety first as any part of their duties (though Health Weeks have been fathered and financed) and the public^ though it may agree well enough with the need of such j campaigns, has no way of saying so. Motorists' proposals for safety first efforts, moreover, do not appeal to non-drivers any the more for the stressing during preliminary discussions of the rights of the motorist and the unbelievable1 stupidity of those who merely walk. In a paper read before the Public Works and Transport Congress (England) recently it was advocated strong* ly by tfie vice-chairman of the Middlesex County Council, Alderman G. M. Eeed, that safety first was very definitely a duty of local bodies. As custodians of the health and well-being of the inbahitants within their areas, he continued, it was clearly the duty of the local authorities not only to take steps to prevent disease and secure general healthful amenities, but also to do. everything possible to ensure that the public might do their work and move about with the utmost degree of freedom from risk. Various Acts of Parliament dealing with traffic and transport made it clear that a responsibility rested upon local bodies in that regard, and a proper recognition of that responsibility would mean an extension! of activities. , SAVING THE HOSPITALS MONEY. From a purely economic point of view it is clearly the duty of the local authority to prevent streot accidents, having regard to tho fact that the prevention of such accidents would relieve the hospitals of heavy burdens cast upon them due to totally preventable accidents.. Injury to a wage-earner frequently has the effect of compelling his family to call upon.the ratepayers for assistance. . . Particularly as regards children, an accident may have a crippling effect which renders the vietiin a permanent burden upon the local authority and the State. Vast sums are spent annually iv rendering services for the prevention or cure of disease among children, and it is surely of at least equal importance that they; should, as educational authorities, take every possible step to prevent personal injury 'to the children under their; care. . .

"Any means which can be taken which will have the effect of lessening the heavy burden which already falls upon the ratepayers due to preventable accidents would, viewed from a purely; economic point of view, be ample justification for reasonable expenditure on. the part of a local authority In an «sndeavonr to lessen the number of acci« dents in its area." Conditions in England as regards local body control of schools and assistance to destituto persons are rather; different, but the argument above in [the main has a direct application to New Zealand. From several of the larger hospital boards have come expressions almost of dismay at the cost to the boards (meaning the ratepayers) of attention to victims oi! traffic accidents, and that this cost is high has been recognised by the Minister of Transport when he spoke of a special consideration of the financial difficulty; facing some boards as a result of motoring accidents. If education in safety first principals lis of such great value in accident prevention as has been claimed in England and elsewhere, financial assistance by the Government, by hospital boards, and by local bodies may well be justifiI ed, that movements launched may progress beyond enthusiastic discussion^ half-nearted organisation, and then nothing at all.