SEVENTY ACCIDENTS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 169, 17 June 1940, Page 6

SEVENTY ACCIDENTS.

CITY FIGURES FOR YEAR. TWO KILLED; 85 INJURED. A summary which has been prepared by + lie Transport Department of motor accidents, which have occurred in Palmerston North during the year ended March 31, 1940, shows that there were 70 accidents, two being fatal. In these accidents two persons were killed and 85 injured. Nearlv all the ■ accidents have been collisions, 67 of them being of this nature. Of the other three, two drivers went' off the roadway and one case was not specified. Most of the collisions took place with cyclists or with other motor-vehicles, 32 cyclists having been involved and 20 other motor vehicles. None of the other classes is nearly as large as these two. Seven pedestrians were involved, drivers struck poles on three occasions, and there were two accidents with trains and one' with a horse vehicle. The figures show that the most danerous times for accidents have- been at meal-hours, when there is more traffic than usual. There were 16 accidents between 5 and 7 p.m., nine of these being between' 5 and 6 p.m., which is the hour when the vreatest number of accidents occurred. Before this period of two hours four accidents were recorded, and afterwards two. Similarly, the hours between noon and 2 p.m. show a greater proportion of accidents, 13 being recorded seven of which were between noon and 1 p.m. Of the three' noncollision cases for tlie year two occuired between 1 and 2 p.m. In the hour immediately before noon there was only one accident and in the hour after 2 p.m. there were four. Except for these lunch-hour figures there has been a fairly steady accident rate for the daylight hours and the night hours up to midnight, the next highest figure being five, from 10 to 11 pm. The early morning hours have been almost free of accidents, however, only two having occurred between midnight and 6 a.m. The West Street railway crossing is the only one where accidents have occurred, but there have been three at this place, one being fatal and injuries resulting in the other two. There were no fatal accidents at mtersections, but 34 other accidents occurred at 28 intersections There have been three at the Cuba and George Street corner, and corners where two accidents have occurred are at Fitzherbert Avenue-the bquare, Broadway-Princess Street, Rangiti-kei-Featherston Streets, and Featli-erston-Ruahine Streets.