BY-LAW TRANSGRESSIONS

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 30 September 1933, Page 12

BY-LAW TRANSGRESSIONS

TRAFFFIC OFFENCES AT HOME. BRITISH STATISTICS PUBLISHED. According to statistics released by the British Home Office, about 291,000 individuals were proceeded against or cautioned during 1932 for motoring offences, but it is mentioned in an English newspaper that there was an abnormally large number of prosecutions on charges relating to technical and minor transgressions which did not cause danger to road users. For example, for causing obstruction about 33,000 breaches were recorded, and about 22,000 convictions secured, though there were only about 1800 prosecutions for the far more serious offence of leaving a motor vehicle jii a dangerous position. Although the grand total of alleged offenders seems rather high, there were only 3068 convictions for dangerous or reckless driving, as against 5000 in 1931. There was a regrettable increase in respect of “careless driving” convictions amounting to 15,542. Seventy-three drivers were charged with manslaughter, 48 being acquitted and three not being indicted.

The opinion of the English motor prejss is that, on the whole, drivers are exhibiting more caution and skill, and that it is merely the spectacular and reckless acts of a small minority which have evoked trenchant official criticism. It is also suggested that the police are devoting too much attention to the prosecution) of those guilty of petty offences which do not cause danger to the community, and that in many cases an official caution would have been 7 as salutary as a prosecution, and would have avoided much expense and waste of time, leaving the police less hampered in the far more important task of bringing reckless offenders to book.