MORE STREET DEATHS

Evening Star, Issue 19890, 12 June 1928, Page 12

MORE STREET DEATHS

INCREASE IN BRITAIN TOTAL OF 5,329 LAST YEAR An increase of nearly 10,000 traffic accidents in which people wore lulled or injured in Great Britain is shown in a Government White Paper giving .statistics for 1927. The total number of road accidents reported by the police during that year was 133,943, as against 121,287 in tno previous year. Of this number 5,195 accidents were fatal. Tho number of persons killed also shows an increase—from 1,386 to 5,329. The number of accidents caused by inechanicnily-propolled _ vehicles was 105,463 — an increase of 8,721 over the 1926 figure. By far the largest class of vehicles appearing in the detailed figures is that comprising private cars and taxicabs, to which were attributed 43,193 accidents. Motorcycles come next, witli a total of 33,677.

Motor runs and lorries wore concerned in 15.378 accidents, pedal cycles in 23,558, motor omnibuses and conches ; n 7.-102, and electric; trnrocars curl trolley omnibuses in 0,813. Motor em- .■ louses and coaches share with hoisedrawn vehicles the distinction of a drop in the number of accidents in which they were involved during 1927. All other classes contribute varying rises to tlie aggregate increase. A fact of distinct interest in relation

to tho question of “pillion dangers’’' is that less than a quarter of hie solo motor cycles involved in accidents carried pillion passengers. The respective figures were: With pillion passengers, 6,980; without pillion passengers, 21,126; with sidecars, 5,571. The number of persons killed in accidents involving private cars and taxicabs was 1,509, and in the ease of motor omnibuses and coaches, 613. Tho number of persons killed or injured totalled 153,904, an increase of 15,130 compared with the preceding year. Meanwhile 449 people _ were killed in traffic in Baris last year. The Prefect of Police states that in sixty-one cases out of a hnndredthc accident was proved to be tlie victim’s own fault.

A writer in the ‘Morning Post’ says:—“lt is a fact that is not generally recognised by the traffic authorities that many accidents aro caused by persons or vehicles which are not actually involved in tho accident .at all. This is one of tho reasons why accident statistics aro so misleading, as in tho report of the accident only the vehicles actually in the ‘crash’ get a black mark placed against them, while the cause of all the troubles escapes uninjured and unnoticed. This is particularly true of London traffic conditions, and many an accident goes down against an omnibus which skids on the pavement due to the foolish action of some smaller vehicle, or even of a pedestrian which it was trying to avoid. “ Ono of the most dangerous vehicles in London streets is the delivery tricycle propelled by a small boy or irresponsible youth. During the last few days T have seen numerous eases in which these inexperienced hoys have not only courted danger for themselves, but have been a peril to everyone else on the road, and accidents have been avoided only through the good driving of the person in charge of the other vehicle concerned.

“This is the sort of thing that happens, and is an account of an incident in which I was involved as a pedestrian only the other day. A small boy pedalling a delivery tricycle comes round on the wrong side of an island_ whistling; a taxicab lias to swerve right round hint, and almost runs up on the pavement. 1 have to jump to got. out of the taxicab's way, and cannon into several people on the pavement. Profuse apologies all round follow' except from the small boy, who rides on whistling, quite unperturbed by the havoc he has caused, and still on the wrong side of the road.”