PILLION RIDING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18171, 17 August 1922, Page 3

PILLION RIDING.

\ Si r —As a. member of the:'; deputation that waited upon the Gtahuhu .Borough Council may I be permitted to reply to Mr. Cummiues. I have no hesitation, as ~ aii expfdenced ridir, in saying that the danger of ' toprbaniper,' is more; apparent than real. Designers of the- motor-cycle have for years i>ai!b striven to obtain as low a centre of gravity as possible, and have finally evolved a teaUy trustwqHhy and economical means of transit. In lact, the motor-cycle, rider and pillion passenger up, has a. much lower cMtre of eravityfthan an ordinary pedal machine, with only the rider up; therefore, the " balance" 5 is not s$ readily aips*t as one without experience would imagine.■: At the council meeting referred to, on© poun- _ cillor urged that our right to carry. a:, ... : .. _ pillion passenger was abused; as one rider made a practice of .carrying two, and sometimes evt»n three passengers behind. He was quite correct; I know of the ease he referred to, and while not defending the practice, may I. pomfc out that, if .„ it is possible to carry three passengers on behind at one time without upsetting the balance of the machine, then carrying one passenger, which is all we aak, is. not *n unduly dangerous practice. Agam, as I pointed out tb the fJie natural . correlative pi any diuigerous practice is the accompanying number oii accidents. Can Mr. Cumminga point out one serioua accident that has occurred in th*.Auckland Province due to pillion riding,! If not, the practico being rather popular for many reasons, he miist, admit thai the dangers are purely hypothetical, and, as ' the British Commission: on. Traffic I«aws recently determined, there is no case against pillion riding. Q.E. ■'..:.-, .''■ ~.. ' ii •KJiiiim ■ i ;■'