TOLL OF THE ROAD

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 134, 8 June 1936, Page 10

TOLL OF THE ROAD

WIDER POWERS

TAKEN BY GOVEENMENT

BILL INTRODUCED

AIMS OF THE MINISTER

Important provisions designed to reduce the number of road accidents are contained in the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, which was introduced in the House of Representatives by Governor-General's Message late on Saturday afternoon.

The Bill gives to the Government power to make regulations relating to 'all forms of road traffic, including bicycles and pedestrians. At present the regulation powers of the Government cover only motor traffic.

It provides power to the Minister of Transport to disallow any local bylaws relating to road traffic, thus giving him supervisory control over all Jaws relating to traffic. Provision is made for an absolute speed limit of thirty miles an hour in all built-up areas to replace the present confusion of local bylaw speeds and discretionary speeds under the Motor Vehicle Regulations. INCREASED PENALTIES. Increases are made in the penalties for offences under the main Act, particularly in the case of the hit-and-run driver, who is placed in the same category as the reckless, negligent, or intoxicated driver who causes bodily injury or death. A new definition is provided for a trailer, so as to include caravan-trailers, which have been held not to be included in the present definition.

The provision relating to a maximum speed/limit of thirty miles an hour applies to every city, borough, and town district, and also in any other locality that is declared by the Minister of Transport by notice in the Gazette to be a closely-populated locality for the purposes of the Bill. The speed limit is to be indicated in the declared areas by the.erection of approved signs. Provision is made for the operation of lower speed limits to meet special cases, and also that a lower speed than thirty miles an hour where that speed is the limit will not of itself prevent a prosecution for dangerous or negligent driving. It is made an offence to drive a motor vehicle without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other road users. SUSPENSIONS. The periods for which driving licences may be suspended for offences under this section are limited to one month for a first offender and three months in the case of a second offence. For the purposes of this provision a conviction within the preceding three years for dangerous or negligent driving is to be counted as a conviction under.the clause.

The clause relating to hit-and-run drivers provides for an increase in the maximum penalty to which a motorist is liable when he is involved in an accident and fails to stop, and, where any person is injured, to render assistance. The clause makes his action a crime, and makes the maximum penalty the same as that'for negligent driving causing death, namely, imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or a fine not exceeding £500. The present penalty is a fine not exceeding £30.

The general penalty for offences under the principal Act (where no other penalty is prescribed) is increased from a fine not exceeding £10 to a fine not exceeding £50. A fine of £50 may already be imposed for breaches of the regulations under the Act. The Cour,t is authorised to dismiss a prosecution for a minor motoring offence if in the opinion of the Court the defendant has been prejudiced in his 'defence by unreasonable delay in commencing the proceedings, or in notifying the defendant that he has committed an offence. ' It is provided that in prosecutions for a minor motoring offence (where the maximum penalty does not exceed £50) the Court may receive evidence that is not strictly legal, such as affidavits/letters, or written statements sent to the Court by the defendant. The purpose of this provision is to enable motorists who' reside more than fifty miles from the Court to state their defence (if they so desired) without having to attend the Court with their witnesses, . REGISTRATION OF BICYCLES. Provision is included in the Bill for regulations to be made under the principal Act for the control of any form of traffic other than motor traffic, so as .to make the control of motor traffic fully effective. The regulations may deal, inter alia, with pedestrian traffic, the lighting of vehicles, and the registration of bicycles. The Minister is empowered to disallow any traffic bylaw made, by a local authority if in his opinion the subject matter of the bylaw should be dealt with by the principal Act and its amendments or by regulations under the-principal Act. This will enable uniform provisions to be made for the whole of New Zealand in cases where there are now many different local bvlsws* ■ The annual licence fee in the case of motor-lorries used for the carriage of passengers is to be reduced from £3 tp £2, but the reduction will not operate until June 1, 1937. The type of vehicle affected is the motor-lorry used for carrying sports bodies, picnic parties, etc. The licence fee for a motor-lorry carrying goods is £2, and in the opinion of the Minister there appeared to be no reason for charging £3 for the same vehicle carrying passengers.

MINISTER'S COMMENTS CARE IN DRIVING The Minister of Public Works oriefly explained the Bill clause by clause. The reason he said that caravans had been included was that they were likely to become a menace and a danger to the road. They were at present regarded as a place of abode, and did not come under the scope of the motor vehicles law. Therefore the new definition of "trailer" would include "caravan-trailer." In respect to the clause providing a maximum speed limit of 30 miles an hour in cities, boroughs, and town districts, he hoped the House would fully discuss the question. The clause making it an offence to drive a motor vehicle without due care and attention drew the Leader of the Opposition (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes), who remarked: Don't you have to drive a car now with reasonable care?

The Minister: Many people do not. I want to tighten up the section. If we cannot get an offender with the first barrel we will get him with the next if he has not learnt his lesson. If he is still a menace to the road he must be punished more severely on his second offence.

The Minister said that he had in-

eluded a clause which increased the general penalty for offences from a fine not exceeding £10 to one not exceeding £50. It was again a case of "tightening up." CONTROL OF CYCLISTS. Referring to the clause enabling regulations to be made for the control of any form of traffic other than motor traffic, Mr. Semple said cyclists were included, but he had an open mind as to what would be done respecting them. The reason power was being taken for the Minister of Transport to disallow any traffic bylaw made by a local authority was to obtain uniformity from the North Cape to the Bluff, said the Minister. There were 323 local bodies concerned, and the multiplicity of varying bylaws led to CllBOS* "The object of the Bill is to create greater safety on the road," concluded the Minister. Mr. J. Hargest (National Awarua): Will you tighten up the law in regard to conversion of cars? Mr. Semple: That is a very serious question. The Minister in Charge of Police (the Hon. P. Fraser): That comes under the Police Offences Act. Mr. Semple: Under the Police Offences Act it can and will be done. TO BE POSTPONED

PARTIES TO BE CONSULTED

An announcement that it was not in- i tended to pass the Motor Vehicles j Amendment Bill befpre the break in the session was made by the Minister of Transport (the Hon. K. ; Semple) today.- The Minister said it was intended to take the second reading today, and postpone the remaining i stages until after the brief recess. The Minister said there were a number of points on which it was thought desirable to take interested parties into consultation. The aim of the Government was to make the Bill as strong as possible. "I want to take the people of New Zealand into my confidence," said Mr. Semple, "and make the roads of the country 100 per cent. safe. I see that during the weekend there were further 'hit-and-run' cases reported. That makes the legislation all the more necessary." t SECOND BEADING DEBATE BEGINS In'moving the second reading of the Bill this afternoon the Minister of Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) said that both sides of the House would agree that some radical changes were necessary in the control of transport, and he wanted the co-operation of the House to bring about a better form of control so that the people would oe safer in the days to come. During the last seven years 1250 people had been killed and 35,000 injured on the highways. On the law of ' averages one child in four was destined to be killed in a traffic accident. In reply to the Leader of the Opposition (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) Mr. Semple said that he proposed to circulate copies of the Bill among local bodies and get opinions from them prior to considering the measure in Committee after the recess. During the last two months, the number of motor vehicles on the road had been increasing at the rate of 80 a day, and that made the problem even more difficult. What was needed was a set of national bylaws. At present a tremendous number of local authorities were writing their own bylaws and regulations and there could' be no uniformity under these conditions. Local bodies controlled their own speed limits. The idea was that Parliament ' should provide a set of regulations and allow the local bodies to adminis- ' ter them. The Government felt there should be some control of bicycles and : in this they were supported by a large number of local bodies. It had been suggested that push-bikes were a dan- ' ger to traffic but the fact was that out ' of 254 claims for motor insurance 128 I were from cyclists. In Christchurch in 50 per cent, of accidents cyclists . were involved, and even the Chnst- ' church City Council had unanimously ; asked for regulations' to deal with s them. „ . . , I Referring to "hit-and-run" motorists, . Mr. Semple said that the intoxicated • motorist could be sent to gaol for five i years but the man who left a person . to die on the road could only be sent

to gaol for three months. The "hit and run" motorists were not fit to be on the road. They left people to die who, if they received instant attention, would probably live. It was high time the real menace was removed from the road. The Bill suggested a national speed limit of 30 miles an hour but the Minister said he was not going to be dogmatic about it. All he was anxious to do was to get a speed that would meet all requirements. (Proceeding.)