ROAD SAFETY

Evening Star, Issue 23128, 30 November 1938, Page 1

ROAD SAFETY

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN NEXT WEEK WHAT DUNEDIN IS DOING Dunedin’s share in the Road Safety Week national campaign, beginning on Sunday next, was fully discussed at a meeting of the Dunedin Citizens’ Committee, held last evening in the committee room, Town Hall, and a programme setting forth the week’s activities was unanimously approved. Mr M. C. Henderson presided over a representative meeting. Advice was received from the Minister of Transport (Hon. R. Semple) regretting his inability to be present in Dunedin during Road Safety Week, and adding his best wishes for a successful campaign. HOLIDAY DANGERS. A circular letter was received from the Commissioner of Transport (Mr G. L. Laurenson), outlining the reason for Road Safety Week, and giving an indication of what was being done throughout New Zealand in connection with tho campaign. “ During the last Christmas and New Year holiday period,” stated the circular, “ 38 persons were killed and 856 injured (218 seriously) on the roads of New Zealand. This Christmas there will be 25,000 more cars on- the roads, and many of these will be under the control of inexperienced drivers. The accident risk will therefore be greatly increased. It is felt that a large proportion of tho tragedies expected on the roads this Christmas can be prevented, and the special road safety effort is being made with this end in view.” PROCESSION OF FLOATS. Under the auspices of the Transport Department six special floats are _to tour the main road between Christchurch and Invercargill from Monday to Thursday (inclusive) next week. The floats will leave Christchurch at 7.15 a.m. on Monday, stopping the night at Palmerston. En route the floats will participate in a procession to be held at Tiniaru. The floats will leave Palmerston at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, arriving at Dunedin at 11, and here they will ’form part of the procession organised by the local committee. They will also feature in processions to be held later in the day at Mosgiel and Balclutha. The floats will camp at Gore for the night, departing for Invercargill at 9 o’clock on Wednesday morning. After appearing in a procession there they will return to Gore to appear fin another procession, and wih :.hen carr| on to Dunedin Fa camp. Dunedin will be left on Thursday at 7 a.m. on the return journey to Christchurch. LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS. The local programme will open on Sunday, when Safety Week will be referred to in all churches, Sunday schools, and Bible classes, and in broadcasting services. On Monday night Mr J. Ironside, headmaster of the Arthur Street School, and president of the Headmasters’ Association, will speak from 4YA on ‘ Our Safety First Work in Schools.’ During the week in the schools special prominence will be given to safety first principles. Headmasters are to send to the secretary of the Headmasters’ Association the two best essays on ‘ Safety Eirst, these essays to be broadcast during the campaign. All schools are asked to contribute suitable posters representing ‘Safety First.’ These posters will be displayed in shop windows. A procession will be held in the city on Tuesday. This will assemble at Anzac Avenue (head of procession by Nees’s warehouse) at 11 a.m., and will link up with the Transport llepariment’s decorated floats from Christchurch. The Forbury and Kaikorai School Bands will be in attendance. The procession will proceed up Hanover street to King street, along King street (in front of the Hospital) to Frederick street, then along George and I nnces streets, disbanding at the Oval. The column will be headed by traffic inspectors on foot, and motor cyclists will act as escorts on each side of the column. Firms’ lorries will be interspersed in the procession, each to have appropriate slogans. and displays. Breakdown vehicols will carry two wrecked cars. . , Traffic inspectors will devote Wednesday to making private car owners conscious of the regulations, while on Thursday a similar step will be adopted with regard to heavy traffic vehicles. It has been arranged with the Carriers Association that every carrier shall display slogans on vehicles. Tram cars and service buses will also carry posters. On both afternoons the loud speaker will be used during the afternoon. . A night procession will be staged on Friday This will assemble in Cumberland street (head of procession at Jervois street) at 7 o’clock. At 7.30 it will move off up Manor street to Princes street, and will proceed along Princes street, George street, Frederick street. King street, Hanover street, George street, the Octagon, and will disband in Stuart street. Leading bands will be in attendance. In this connection there will be competitions for different classes of vehicles and for pedestrians. The motor cycle section of the Automobile Association (Otago) will provide an escort for the procession. Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Boys’ Brigades, Girls’ Life Brigades, Legion of Frontiersmen, and life saving clubs will co-operate with the procession, and St. John Ambulance will help in every way. Newspaper advertising will be concentrated on on the Saturday, and there will be a special feature at Saturday night’s Town Hall dance. The Chairman stated that it was hoped that playettes and talks on safety first would be broadcast from the national and commercial stations. Mr L. J. Greenberg (director of Station 4ZB) expressed his readiness to put over special messages daily during the breakfast, mid-day, and children's sessions, as well as during the best listening period at night. He was also ready to devote 15 minutes every night to the presentation of plays or talks if the material was available. Mr P. F. Harre, secretary of the Automobile Association, and Traffic In-

spector R. G. M‘Dowell promised that the material would be forthcoming. FLOODLIGHTED SIGNS. “J think it would be a very good idea if posters conveying a message to motorists could be erected in prominent parts around the city,” said Mr R. S. Black. ‘‘They would need only a simple message, such as ‘ Save a Second*^—Save a Life.’ If these could be floodlighted at night they would be very effective.”The suggestion met with the approval of those present, and it was left to Mr Black to arrange for the painting of the signs, and to the chairman to arrange floodlighting and suitable places in the city for the erection of the signs.