ROAD ACCIDENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22371, 19 September 1934, Page 8

ROAD ACCIDENTS

TOLL OF THE MOTOR DECREASE IN FATALITIES \ (Fkom Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, September 18. Figures published in the annual report 0 of the Transport Department, tabled in the House of Representatives to-day, show that during the year ended March 31 there was again a decrease in the number of motor fatalities in the Dominion. There were 125 accidents and 135 deaths, as against 140 accidents and 143 deaths during the previous year. The department considers this particularly gratifying, as it was estimated that during last summer there was more traffic 'on the roads than during the preceding summer. Pedestrian fatalities dropped from 45 to 26, a, reduction of 19, and there was a decrease of 18 in the number of collisions, motor with motor, which fell from 39 to 21. Railway level crossing accidents increased from three to nine, and the number of accidents duo to motor vehicles going over banks increased from nine to 18. There was a 50 per cent, drop in the number of fatal accidents occurring between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Fatal accidents in and near Auckland and Christchurch fell from 33 to 19 and 16 to 10 respectively—in the case of Wellington and Dunedin there was an increase from eight to 13 and two tb six respectively. The report states that a distressing feature of the year was that the fatalities to children up to four years of age increased from five in 1932-33 to nine in 1933-34. There had been a further reduction in motor cycle fatalities, _ there being 27 this year, compared with 39 last year. The deaths of persons on other motor vehicles increased from 36 to 64.

Fatal accidents attributed to the absence or the inefficiency of lights are still frequent, accounting for over 10 per cent, of the total fatal accidents.