Correspondence

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6919, 25 July 1932, Page 6

Correspondence

Safety First oh the Highways

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Commenting on the number ol: motor fatalities at an inquest on Friday last, the Coroner is reported to have stated that it seems that the Automobile Associations coulu no u great deal of educational work in impressing upon motorists a safety first policy. This statement has a tendency to give the impression that the Automobile Associations are taking insufficient action to prevent accidents. With your permission I would like to point out that the associations arc doing all in their power to educate the motorists and the pedestrians on tho principles or safety first in the following manner: Beginning with school children, lectures are delivered by service officers in schools and posters are distributed free of charge and placed on classroom walls. Education of pedestrians is carried on by publicity through tho press (and their co-operation has been invaluable iu this connection) and the associations are endeavouring to inculcate the habit of usage of tho right hand side of tho road by pedestrians where no footpaths exist. Cyclists have been assisted by free painting of rear mudguards for school children and others, and the co-operation of local authorities has been successfully enlisted and by-laws formed providing for white painting of rear mudguards and compelling the use of red reflectors. Motorists have the benefit of warnings on signposts where bad corners, steep hills, slippery surfaces, etc., exist, and the associations provide free adjustment of headlights, post license driving tuition, and continual propaganda urging careful driving. Further, the service officers and local traffic authorities periodically patrol tho roads at night in order that the menace of glaring or wrongly focussed headlights may be minimised. Members are requested to report any cases of discourteous or dangerous driving and the association then writes to tho offender, without disclosing the informant’s name, politely 1 requesting safer driving in the future. To further impress individual members of the local association a bulletin has been issued and will be publishci monthly, and in it, amongst other things, members aro and will bo continually urged to make every effort V avoid accidents. IScvcro penalties for reckless or irresponsible driving have and will always be supported by'associations. Thus it will be seen, and . oclieve conceded, that genuine and r tained efforts aro being made to overcome the serious toll of tho road. It is obviously impossible to control eve single individual and accidents wi! always occur, but it is fairly claim that the continued efforts on the lines indicated above effectively answer any suggestion such as made at the inquest referred to.—l am, etc., s. i. McKenzie, Secretary Manawatu Automobile Association.