MOTOR-CAR SPEEDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3775, 20 July 1926, Page 11

MOTOR-CAR SPEEDS.

AUCKLAND, July 15. A judgment of interest to motorists was given by Mr W R. M Kean, S.M., in the case n which the plaintiff was D. Stoupe (Mr Terry), inspector of the Mount Albert Borough Council, and the defendant T. E. House (Mr Holmden). Defendant was charged lhat on February 13 last he drove a car along the New North road at a speed which, having regard to all the cir cumstanccs of the caso, was dangerous to the public. On that date there were motor car races at the Muriwai Beach, and manv cars proceeded there via the New’ North road. The Automobile Association interested itself in the prosecution; and several other prosecutions relating to alleged offences on that day, and contended that the method of timing cars over a measured distance of 440vds was unfair, and in some cases might came an injustice, as the measured distance commenced on a rise and ended early in tha middle of an intersecting road. -Prior to the hearing of the case tests were made by officials of the association, and it was found that the time taken at the end of the “trap” did not coincide with the watches carried in a car. His Worship said he had been afforded an opportunity of making some tests over the measured distance, and although the stop-watches showed a speed of about one mile per hour in excess of the speedo meter the difference between the watches

was too slight to ke important. The method adopted by the prosecution, while not sufficiently precise to be acceptable for the purpose of Brooklands records, was sufficient to enable a reasonably accurate statement of the speed of a car to be made by conscientious officers. If the existing method of timing cars were shown to be capable of producing extremely unsatisfactory results, he would not hesitate to condemn it, but neither the evidence nor the demonstration had shown that any real injustice was likely to result from the existing method of working the “trap.” His Worship said that the. Automobile Association desired to make it clear that one of its maxims was “safety first,” and that it* discouraged dangerous driving. It had been induced t° interest itself in the proceedings because of complaints by members who claimed that they habitually drove slowly. He could only conclude that if the complaints had come from members whose speeds had been 30 miles an hour over a portion of the rorfl on the day of the Muriwai races, they were not well founded. Defendant asserted that his speed was 22 miles an hour, while the prosecution alleged that it was 31 miles an hour. He did not think that the a prosecution would err to the extent of nine miles an hour, and he accepted its evidence. The defendant was convicted and fined £l, and £2 9s costs.