MUTUAL TOLERANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23335, 29 October 1937, Page 18

MUTUAL TOLERANCE

MOTORISTS AND PEDESTRIANS DRIVERS NOT ALWAYS AT FAULT Every non-motorist is a , pedestrian some time or another, given normal use of the lower limbs; every motorist is also, some time or another, a pedestrian. This fact, which should be self-evident, seems to be lost sight of rather too frequently, writes Maurice Sampson, in a Daily Telegraph supplement, "Roads and Road Transport." Therefore, people on foot and people in cars are simply human beings who happen at a given moment to find themselves progressing by different means. Yet this differing method of progression all too often seems to engender a tragic gulf in the mental attitude one to another. It is really rather silly Jay Walking May Yet Be An Offence The roads are with us for all to use, subject to certain legal limitations, such as too great weight or width of vehicle. But there is one other important aspect not to be lost sight of in discussing freedom and safety on the roads, and it is this: The law definitely controls the conduct of a car by a motorist, but makes no attempt to control —I would emphasise that word—the legs of pedestrians. A motorist must keep to his proper side, must have his vehicle under proper and absolute control, must have sound brakes, safety screens and good tyres* must stop and must signal as and when required, and, above all. must obey implicitly traffic lights On. the contrary, a pedestrian may, if suicidally inclined, walk placidly down the centre of a busy road, even if there is an excellent pathway provided for him. Jay walking is not so far an offence in this country. In due course, I think it will be. But not just yet. There Should Be Fellow Feeling Now, probably, a pedestrian who behaved so foolishly—some might describe it as criminally—is probably not a motorist in an active sense. He may ride in public transport vehicles, but he almost certainly never drives or even rides in a private car. All this goes to show that, although all motorists are pedestrians, all pedestrians have not realised that motorists are nowadays quite numerous on the roads. What is to be done about this lamentable state of one section of road users being completely nonsympathetic toward another, with tragic consequences for both? It is difficult to see that much more can be done by education. In the press, by radio, by pamphlets, by campaigns up and down the land, the great gospel of road safety is continually, by official and private effort, being preached.

The Stark Fact Behind An Accident It is, I think, doubtful if any other cause has been urged with greater force and consistency than has.that of road safety for all for the past few years. Yet the horrible " Toll of the Roads," so called goes on. For myself, I dislike that term because it is not strictly true. It implies much too forcibly that the blame should be laid on the road and not on the individual. It should be the " Toll of Road Users." After all, it seems rather a poor excuse to plead that an accident would not have taken place if the road had been better, wider, safer, or more illuminated.

The stark fact that confronts every victim of a road accident is that somone was driving or walking or cycling at such-and-such a spot in a manner which was not safe or sufficiently careful at that particular spot at the time of the accident. No; let us all be honest, and examine our own conscience in the matter of road safety. Child Victims of the Road I do not believe that any accident is what is so frequently described as just a pure accident in wh'ich no one is to blame. Someone is to blame in* some way for every accident. But it may be asked, how about the all-too-common case of a youngster, or even an elder, stepping suddenly off a kerb, back to the traffic flow, and being instantly mowed down from behind? Quite obviously the first-rate driver in conditions in which such happenings are possible is prepared all the time for such an emergency If he is not he is not a good driver, because he is not alert and very careful —the rather slangy word " spry " seems to meet this case. So he is partly to blame.

So, of course, is the person who sudenly steps off the pavement. Even if it is a youngster someone is pajw to blame. That child, if of school age, has certainly heard a great deal of the need for care and caution. If below school age, someone is to blame for not having the child under some kind of guardianship on its walks (abroad.

I instance this sadly common type of accident to hammer home the point that no one, motorist, pedestrian or cyclist ought ever to lull himself into a false feeling of security by accepting the fallacious argument that some accidents are just "pure" accidents in which no one can possibly be blamed—except, perhaps, the road, which cannot help itself and must be accepted by all at all times for what it is.

But human nature being what it is, and our race being much nurtured on a sometimes dangerous creed of perfect freedom for all, it will, I fear, be difficult to eradicate this type of accident by using the methods of propaganda. The difficulties are increased by the fact that the British people—anyway the majority of those living in the British Isles—are not a motorminded race in the sense that are so manv European people

This is undoubtedly true, and it reacts unfavourably on road safety in two ways. All too few drivers are possessed of a real judgment of

pace, and all too few pedestrians have any sense of pace, at all. All too often one can see a pedestrian start to cross a road only a comparatively short space in front of a car coming maybe at 30 miles an hour. But at 30 miles an hour a car is covering 220 yards in 15 seconds, and many a road is not crossed by an elderly person m that time.

Conversely all too many car drivers fail to realise, in these circumstances, that in 15 seconds they may be right on top of the pedestrian unless they brake hard. It all comes from a complete lack of judgment of pace on the part of both driver and pedestrian. Arbitrary Speed Limits Useless I would urge on all drivers an assiduous cultivation of this art. its importance as a contribution to general road safety cannot be overstressed.

Now I come to a highly contentious point in which I would like to put forward a view which may be taken as purely personal It will be hotly contested by many but. op the other hand, will. I am convinced, be agreed with b" a great number of experienced ~oad users I do not believe that any arbitrary speed limit anywhere has done anything to make for greater road safety I would go further and insist that it is very possible, even probable, that arbitrary speed limits are often actually a danger, since,

instead of being treated as a maximum speed permissible, these limits are all too often regarded as a minimum. That is to say many motorists drive at 30 miles an hour on restricted roads, when, had there been no limit, a speed of 25 miles an hour or even less would have contented them. I know one large German city of nearly 400,000 inhabitants where last year all speed limits and all hornsounding were abolished. Accidents fell, traffic flowed more freely, ajid pedestrians took to using their eyes instead of trusting to their ears. , None of us likes compulsion. But 1 cannot help thinking that if motorists, cyclists and pedestrians do not make up their minds to act as a more homogeneous army of road users, each recognising the lawful presence of the other, with mutual tolerance and goodwill, we shall come to the point where anyone may be fined on the spot for what may seem trivial offences. It might make travel and, indeed, any progress, almost intolerable and would be as bad for industry as a whole as for an vidual in particular. So why not try to abolish those " pure V accidents by a nation-wid"? exercise of discretion, commonsense "and goodwill? After all, the whole reason for motor cars coming injot and remaining in being is speedy transport, and surely it is not too much to expect the whole population to do its best to enable, wherever possible, speed to be wed safely and often advantageously.