TO STOP AT ONCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 132, 7 June 1939, Page 12

TO STOP AT ONCE

LICENCES WILL GO

ACTION TO BE TAKEN

It is plain that it is of no use appealing to either the common sense or decency of a proportion of drivers to keep down their speeds over lengths of the Hutt Road under reconstruction and, under continued light rain, worked up to an inch or so of slush. That being so, the traffic authorities, both the Transport Department and the City Traffic Office, have decided to come down on offenders, and will prosecute drivers who behave as road hogs. The behaviour of a number of drivers, on the road this morning was disgusting. Cars went through at forty and over; a heavy lorry took the section at 35, with twin rear treads hosing up mud; a local authority van cleared a- line of seven or eight cars on the inside and then pulled up and watched them go by. Some of the hogging was, perhaps, unconscious—perhaps. One of the regular patrolmen, getting no results from his car yesterday, afternoon, got out on the roadside, and lasted ten minutes, after which he retired for a bath and a change. And then he did riot \ get all the mud that went his way; a lot of it went over his head. Apparently-, then, appeals do not count, and common sense does not apply. Possibly the association of ideas —mud and people who behave like this —has something to do with it. CONFERENCE OF OFFICERS. The traffic authorities have had enough. Last evening a discussion was held between the Commissioner of Transport (Mr. G. L. Laurenson), the Chief Traffic Officer (Mr. L. S. Drake), and officers of the two departments. As a direct result approaches were made to the managements of .firms and concerns running regular and timetable services on the road to give direct instructions to their drivers to exercise in all cases consideration for others on the roads, and the general decision was made to take action against drivers under Section 4 of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act. - The section says:— If any person drives a motor vehicle . . .without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road ... . he shall be guilty of an offence. A first or second conviction under this section shall not render the offender liable to be disqualified from holding or obtaining a motor driver's licence for a longer period in the case of a first conviction than one month, or in the case of a second offence' three months. So a conviction under this section may riot, be. nearly so funny as the face of the driver overtaken and well plastered. (For really humorous results a sports model car makes the best plastering and might count as a second offence' right away.) OVERTAKING NOT CONSIDERATE. Before the motor regulations were revised there was a prohibition of overtaking on lengths of road where reconstruction and repair workers were engaged and there was also a speed limitation to 15 m.p.h. This clause went when the regulations were revised and reliance is placed upon the "inconsiderate • driving" section of the Act quoted. The city patrolmen are from today reinforced by officers from the Transport Department and overtaking in such manner as to shower mud will constitute ground for action. The Automobile Association is co-operating with the traffic authorities and is adding more warning signs. The combined action should impress upon the road hogs what appeals have failed to get into their heads—that they have no friends, among motorists, traffic authorities, or the men who are working on the road under conditions already unpleasant enough., If the enforcement of the inconsiderate driving section of the Act —which will cover all cases of overtaking which throw mud and slush —is not sufficient, steps can still be taken by the traffic authorities to bring down a fixed speed limit by Order-in-Council.-