Many Fail in Tests

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19337, 29 May 1937, Page 9

Many Fail in Tests

QXE quarter of the candidates wiho have hern examined in Britain for driving licenses since the test became legally compulsory in lO.'lo failed to pass the examiners. The proportion of failures was higher among women than men, tho figure being ?f) per cent, compared with k 2'2 per cent. These disclosures were made by Sir Cyril Hureomb, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, addressing members of the Insurance Institute in London not long ago. Tie s<iid that n.TVH'i candidates lind been examined and ISO.G"! 1 . failed. Sir Cyril, referring to the need for new highways, said that Micy would concentrate upon remodelling and reforming existing roads on a new principle. Merely to widen and straighten roads would not make for great?!' safety. "There is too much junk on tho roads," he declared, "but information available to the Ministry does not enable us to measure tho relative lia bility to accident of vehicles of different ages." Some enthusiastic, reformers, said Sir Cyril, sought a complete cure from accidents in radical alteration of all roads rather than behaviour upon them. It did no service to safety to "blame the roads."

He thought that they were forced to the conclusion that the great bulk of accidents would bo avoided only by more careful and considerate behaviour on the part of the millions of road users.

ALLOW Cor more stopping distance ** on a gravel surfaced road. It is necessary to compensate for the tendency of the gravel to roll under the wheels of the car.