THE GOD IN THE CAR

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 134, 4 December 1930, Page 8

THE GOD IN THE CAR

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The modern Juggernaut moves on its devastating way, taking daily toll o£ valuable lives; or to be less high falutin' the motor-car continues to work overtime on population check. This is of vital interest to the few remaining 100 per cent, of pedestrians compelled to traverse the city streets and who raise plaintive protests from time to time in your sympathetic columns. I have to my sorrow to cross and recross a Wellington street many times a day where coloured lights give the traffic stop and start signal, and almost daily I have or seen near accidents through drivers beating the signals. The automatic lights are good if obeyed, but they arc only as good as drivers will allow. The übiquitous hogger to cave a few seconds speeds up when he should stop, thereby creating a double danger, because there are fools on foot who trust to the false security of the red light. " 'Tis common all that live must die, passing through Nature to eternity," but there is no need for sudden immolation by illegal hands. Not until a perfectly good Mayor, wise councillor, or maybe political mercenary, is mopped up shall we see steps taken to catch_ offenders. Meantime less important citizens imist take chances of injury or death, and some jury of morons is as likely as not to blame the deceased for the casualty. The old tag that "times change and we change with them" was never more obvious than it is to-day, when men hitherto perfectly respectable who have walked with dignified leisure to business for twenty years, suddenly, 'as car owners, develop into § pernicious speeders, sweeping by like an Etesian gale. There are scores of them, and one wonders why such, formerly careful methodical men, should take the risk of a charge of manslaughter by "stepping on it" at street crossings to the' tune of 40 m.p.h. Of course to get the thrill they may rely on the chance of missing the walker or of escaping punishment by the fact that they are known to jurisconsults as popular clubmen, kind fathers, and model husbands. However, something must be done and quickly, to check the motor accidents and give due protection to the unoffending pedestrian, who now has to jump for his life many times a day.— I am. etc., TRYING TO KEEP ALIVE.