ROAD’S RED ROLL

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 January 1938, Page 9

ROAD’S RED ROLL

DISCUSSION IN LORDS LONDON, Dec. 8. “Nothing less than appalling,” as the Bishop of Winchester put it, were the traffic accident figures which he quoted in the House of Lords to-day. In ten years 66,000 people have been killed and nearly two millions injured on the roads of Britain. The debate in the Lords emphasised a continuing evil that the public has come to accept in a more or less fatall istic mood. It cannot be said, however, I that many of the suggested remedies carried much practical value. For elderly noblemen to place the blame oxi impetuous youth, and to suggest that nobody xxndei - 25 years of age should drive a car, may to natural enough, but there is no evidence to justify it. Tremendous stress, too, was laid on the dangers of exceeding the speed limit (30 m.p.h.) in built-up areas. Again, there is no evidence that the majority of accidents occur in such areas because of speed breaches. Indeed, anybody who drives on the crowded roads of England .knows that his chance of being “skittled” is greatex - where there is no speed limit. Foxthe protection of pedestrians it may be a good thing to have a device which, by the turning of a switch, would prevent a cax - from travelling more than 30 m.p.h. This was said to exist, but it would be fox - the nechnicians to satisfy the Select Committee (which is to sit) on points like these. There might be circumstances ixi which the lack of reserve speed would cause rather than prevent disaster. Some noble lords frankly objected to the development of fast transport, and blamed the Government for encourog- 1 ing ox - even allowing it.

GERMAN DEVELOPMENT The system of roads for motors only has been developed most highly in Germany, and a report on it by a British delegation is in course of preparation. Mr. Bruxner saw it a few months ago, but did not commit himself deeply on the subject when he returned to London. “It has its points,” he remarked, “but we used to be told that the great argument for motor transport was its flexibility. The autobahn ties it to a single route like a railway.” When Lord Ponsonby remarked that widening the roads produced accidents, he echoed what many people have said, but the argument is simply one for checking the output of motor vehicles. That is shown by the figures quoted by the Duke of Richmond and Gordon (himself an ardent motorist), who, said that the accident rate per 10,000 cars was lower in 1936 than it had been in any of the preceding ten years. The fact suggests that there has been a certain efficacy in the introduction of driving tests for licenses a couple of years ago. The Select Committee will be faced with the questions whether the community is paying in life and limb too high a price for

speedy transport, and whether it is possible to reduce the toll without reducing the pace. It is perfectly arguable that the .whole tempo of the world to-day has disastrous effects upon human lives in other ways than through motox - accidents, and it is equally arguable that the sagest advice will not stay- mankind from a mechanical pi - ogress that is far ahead of its spiritul advance. Some day man. may. learn to use wisely all the things which he makes fox - himself.