RULE OF THE ROAD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20251, 10 May 1929, Page 12

RULE OF THE ROAD.

QUESTION OF A CHANGE

MOTORISTS AND THEIR VIEWS

The question of the rule of the road was discussed at the half-yearly meeting of the North Island Motor Union in Wellington yesterday. Mr. V. Duff (North Taranaki) moved: "That representations be made to the Minister of Transport to have the Motor Regulations amended to provide that the rule of the road in New Zealand be altered to provide that motorists should give way to traffic on the left instead of on the right as at present. Dr. E. E. Porritt (Wanganui) said if traffic had to give way on the left in older countries it was obvious that the obverse rule should exist in this country. Mr. H. C. Jones (Auckland), a member of the Transport Board, said he doubted the statement that the rule of the road was being observed in the obverse way in Canada. Mr F. J. Hill (Wanganui) declared that what was known as the "offside rule" had been adopted from the sea, and had been adopted in America, but had never been followed in England, where they also had the right-hand drive. Mr. W Howard Booth (Wairarapa) said that in 1902, while crossing from Liverpool to New York, he had had a heated argument about the rule of the road, in which he had proved that England was right and America wrong. He disagreed with the motion, contending that the present custom was the correct one. Mr. L. A. Edwards (Wairarapa) also favoured the present rule of observing the vehicle on the right. Mr. L. V. Wilson (Wellington) contended that the trouble was that 90 per cent, of the traffic did not ravel on the left-hand side of the road. If they were going to change the rule tliey would turn traffic topsy-turvy and cause numberless accidents. In replying, Mr. Duff said that in motor traffic they had a much more serious traffic problem than in the days of horse traffic. Tho motion was lost by nine votes to four.