TOLL OF THE MOTOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20766, 8 January 1931, Page 11

TOLL OF THE MOTOR.

DEATHS IN ACCIDENTS.

HIGH RATE CONTINUES. DANGERS OF THE ROAD. Motor vehicle accidents in the Auckland urban area during 1930 resulted in the loss of 29 lives, an increase of one on the number of fatalities in 1929. In the previous year 26 deaths were caused by motor accidents and in 1927 the total was 21. In the remainder of the province 52 people lost their lives in the use of motor vehicles, bringing the total number of fatalities in the Auckland Province to 81, an average of just under seven a month, compared with an average of 19 a month for the whole Dominion.

An analysis of the reported fatalities in Auckland and the province is contained in the following table: —

Deaths of pedestrians and children are second only to the loss of life caused by motor-cars and lorries overturning at bends, crashing into telegraph poles and plunging into rivers. Such fatalities predominated in the country. City traffic was responsible for a heavy toll of pedestrians and a significant feature was the fact that by* far the greater proportion occurred during the winter months, when the wet condition of the streets made the surfaces greasy and visibility bad. Elderly persons were involved in practically every case. A sad aspect of the fatalities involving children is the fact that two occurred as the result of children playing in the street and the others arose from their natural impulsiveness in rushing into streets from behind obstructions which shielded them from the view of the driver. Several fatal accidents to pedestrians on country roads were due to the fact that the person concerned walked with his back to the stream of overtaking traffic.

Urban Rest of Area. Province. Totals Collisions .between 1 cars — 1 Car and motor-cycle 2 5 7 Car and lorry — 1 1 Car and bus — 1 1 Lorry and motor-cycle 3 1 4 Motor-cycles . . 2 1 Car and bicycle 1 3 4 Pillion rider . . 1 — 1 Vehicles over banks, skids, capsizes— 18 Cars — 18 Motor-cycles . . 2 — 2 Motor-cycles and side-cars — 3 3 Lorries — 3 3 Falls from vehicles . . 2 1 3 Level-crossing smashes — 6 8 Car-racing 1 1 2 Pedestrians killed . . 12 5 17 Children 3 2 5 29 52 81