THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, AUGUST 18. 1924. MOTOR TRAFFIC.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19251, 15 August 1924, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, AUGUST 18. 1924. MOTOR TRAFFIC.

To say that there are far too many motor accidents in Dunedin and in the dominion as a whole is merely to express an opinion from which there can be no reasonable dissent. Visitors to Dunedin sometimes comment upon the absence hero of such a volume of traffic as is noticeable in the busy quarters of some of the other centres. Nevertheless, particularly distressing evidence has been afforded of late that the streets of Dunedin are not as safe for their users as they should be. The advantages of the motor era are dearly bought if they must be paid for in a serious loss of individual security. It is becoming more and more cleiu-, therefore, tnat the possession which the motor vehicle has to-day of our streets and roads must be surrounded with safeguards that shall be comprehensively effective. Only by the exercise of all possible precaution and vigilance can there be a reduction to a minimum of a waste of life and limb that is discreditable to an organised and civilised community. Although the motorist may not bo at all to blame for the fact that a pedestrian is struck, with fatal results, the unalterable fact remains that the motor vehicle was the instrument of

death; and what between cases in which the driver was not blameablc and those in which he was blameworthy the sum total of evidence respecting the dangers of motor traffic is formidable. The discussion on the subject among members of the Otago Motor Club at their meeting this week disclosed a commendable measure of concern -at the general position, with satisfactory indications of a desire to promote practical measures with a view to bringing about a reduction in the number of accidents. Mainly, a more stringent enforcement of the laws relating to street traffic is called for. The great majority of motorists are no doubt persons who display skill in their driving, exercise care in the observance of regulations and by-laws, and recognise that other users of the public roads have their rights. But among motor drivers there are unfortunately some who are not as skilful as they might be, and, worse still, some who are reckless. As was stated by a prominent member of the Motor Club : “Unfortunately a small percentage of motorists persist in reckless driving.” Those who observe the stream of motor traffic heading citywards after a race meeting or a big football match may perhaps be inclined to the shew that the percentage of the reckless ones is not so very small. The inordinate demand for haste on the part of persons who have had hours to spend in doing nothing in particular is one of life’s mysteries. Certainly it is both foolish and dangerous and deserves no sympathy. There are persons who temperamentally are unfit to have charge of a motor car. They cause reflections to be cast upon the whole motoring community. The motor cyclist cannot escape his share of responsibility if the finger of reproach be pointed at motorists as a class. In proportion to his numbers he is probably somewhat uncommonly conspicuous as a source of danger amid traffic. The position has of course another aspect, which the motorist is naturally disposed to emphasise. It must be recognised that those in charge of motor vehicles are not always responsible for the accidents that occur, and that contributory hegligence is exhibited on the part of non-motorists. There are pedestrians who do not sufficiently recognise the rights of other users of the public streets, or whoso progress is careless or absent-minded to a degree that may easily involve them in risk of misadventure. The habit of some pedestrians—those, for example, who like to make a diagonal excursion from footpath to footpath, and to take an unconscionably long time in doing so—is no doubt highly exasperating to motorists. Dunedin has been characterised as the only one of the four centres in New Zealand where pedestrians “wander about the streets without taking the necessary precautions as to approaching traffic.” We are doubtful as to the strict accuracy of the characterisation. In any case it is only fair to remember that the traffic in the streets of Dunedin is not generally comparable to that seen in some of the other centres. And in the case of a city such as this it would savour somewhat of the heroic to introduce bylaws governing the procedure of persons crossing the streets, while even when the traffic is at its heaviest it is doubtful if it calls yet for the introduction of the safety zone. There are other methods of relieving traffic congestion. It cannot be gainsaid that there has been abundant justification for the inclusion in the Motor Vehicles Bill now before Parliament of provisions that are designed to limit the opportunity of the negligent, reckless, or irresponsible driver of being a menace to the public safety.