ROAD SAFETY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23274, 17 February 1939, Page 12

ROAD SAFETY

YOUNG MOTOR-CYCLISTS

TRAINING LEARNERS MR. SEMPLE'S SUGGESTION NEED FOR INSTRUCTION The desirability of forcing young people applying for a licence to ride a motor-cycle to join some organisation, which would train them in the careful uso of the machines, was expressed by tho Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, in addressing members of the Auckland Road Safety Committee yesterday. Tho remark was made when members of. the committee asked the Minister if the Government intended stopping pillion riding and imposing severe restrictions on motor-cyclists. Mr. Semple said he was satisfied that, more had to bo done to reduce the number of fatal accidents. While ho had no special restrictions in mind, tho committee would have an opportunity of discussing tho matter with him before anything drastic was contemplated. Beginners With Speed Graze

"There is a tremendous number of young men outside any such organisation as yours who receive no proper instruction," said Mr. Semple. "A number of accidents are due to those beginners who have tho speed craze and receive no instruction. A young man often just rides tho motor-cycle, gets tho speed bug, and away ho goes and has his first, and perhaps last accident."

Road safety depended on the three fundamental principles of proper roads to cope with modern transport, education and control, the Minister added. Young men could not be trained by terrorising them or imprisoning them. They had to be brought into organisations and given courses of lectures and their interest had to be stimulated. Tribute to Auckland Cyclists

Mr. Semple gave his assurance that if it were necessary he would favour forcing those young people to come into some organisation where they could be trained. That might scein drastic, ho added, but those young men without experience, with no knowledge of speed, and no idea of the destructive capabilities of their machines, became menaces to the lives of people. . "The Auckland motor-cyclists of the Road Safety Committee are doing their best and have already achieved results," said the Minister. "Motorcyclists have not been quite so active in other parts of the Dominion. The Auckland motor-cyclists have done well. We are trying to save lives and wo lead the world in that respect. A lot depends on motor-cyclists themselves and they can depend on my co-operation to the fullest extent."