TOLL OF MOTOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23018, 21 April 1938, Page 14

TOLL OF MOTOR

DOMINION ACCIDENTS FATALITIES TOTAL 236 OVER 5000 INJURED STATISTICS FOR PAST YEAR Altogether 5251 persons were killed or' injured in 3968 motor accidents in New Zealand during the period from March 15, 1937, to March 31, 1938, according to statistics prepared by the Government Transport Department. The number killed was 236 persons, who wcro involved in 223 accidents. Serious injuries wero suffered by 1055 persons in 887 accidents. Passengers in vehicles comprised tho largest clnss concerned, the total killed and injured being 3677. of whom 72 were killed. Riders of bicycles who wero killed or injured numbered 992, while the total of pedestrians involved was 913. In other categories _ the returns' were: —Drivers of vehicles, 838; motor-cyclists, 609; pillion riders, IS3; others, 39. Most Dangerous Hours Age groups show that 1994 of the victims were between 25 and 54 years, inclusive, a span of 30 years. In comparison it is significant that 932 were from 20 to 24 years of age, and 731 were from 15 to 19 years, spans of only fire years each. Children under five years involved totalled 106, those between five and nine numbered 247, and those between 10 and 14 years 308. Persons over 55 years killed and injured totalled 643, and 290 cases were unspecified. The most dangerous hour for driving is apparently between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., and the most dangerous day appears tr. be Saturday. From a minimum of 14 accidents reported between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., the number increases hourly to 214 between noon and 1 p.m., recedes for the next hour and then rises rapidly to a total of 453 between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. There is another recession to 339 during the next hour, and again an increase to 352 between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. From 8 p.m. the number dwindles to the early morning minimum. Saturday Accidents The number of accidents reported on Saturdays, 876, is almost double the total for each of the four days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Owing probably to the extensive marketing done on Fridays, the number for this day, 647, is the second highest daily tptal. Accidents occurring on Sundays totalled 546. By far tho largest number of accidents, 3508, were collisions, 1313 of these being between two or more motor-vehicles. A majority of the accidents are attributed to specific driving breaches, of which the most prevalent are given as follows :—Failure to yield right of way, 535: failure to keep to left, 470; excessive speed, 269; cutting corner, lol; driver intoxicated, 89. Statistics for the No. 1 Traffic District, embracing practically the whole of the Auckland Province, but excluding the citv and boroughs with over 6000 population, show that in the same period there were 821 killed or injured in 564' accidents, the number killed being 52.