TRAFFIC FATALITIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 August 1946, Page 3

TRAFFIC FATALITIES

MINISTER’S APPEAL FOR CAUTION deaths in august (P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 5. Referring to the increasing death roll in traffic acicdents, the Minister of Transport (Mr O’Brien), in a message to road users, said that at the present rate of killing the 1945 death roll would be exceeded this year by the time August had passed. He added that while New Zealand still had the lowest traffic death rate of all motorised countries, there was no cause for complacency. During July, said the Minister, 12 persons lost their lives in motor accidents. Six of the victims were cyclists who collided with motor vehicles. Two were motor cyclists.’ Two pedestrians were killed and also two other occupants of motor vehicles. In the first three days of August no fewer than seven persons had been killed on the roads. To-day a large proportion of cars in New Zealand were very old, and many had deteriorated considerably in the war years. Furthermore, many tyres were in an unsafe condition. Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians had become accustomed to certain latitude and freedom of movement on roads and streets. That was not possible now with the present volume of traffic.

"There is only one way to meet the present situation,” said the Minister. “That is for every user of the road to be constantly on the alert and to ’exercise the greatest caution.” He appealed to motor drivers, motor cyclists, and cyclists to see that their machines were in the best possible order, particularly as to the effectiveness of brakes, steering, and lights. The universal observance of simple precautions by motorists and others, and pedestrians, would go a long way toward making the roads safe.