TOLL OF THE MOTOR

Southland Times, Issue 20641, 13 November 1928, Page 5

TOLL OF THE MOTOR

AUSTRALIA’S GRIM RECORD. SEARCHING FOR REMEDIES. Sydney, October 18. Traffic authorities and officials of motoring bodies in Australia are facing the problem of trying to reduce the number of fatal motor car accidents. Although the complete figures have not yet been published, it Is probable that the deaths last year were close on 1000, and the great majority of them occurred in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Besides this, more than 10,000 people were injured. The number of fatalities shows no sign of decreasing, and the record of motor accidents in the Australian press each Monday morning makes grim reading. It Is no wonder that serious consideration should be given to the question, but it Is surprising that the suggestions that have been put forward fail to include anything that seems at all practical. One suggestion is that drivers should be licensed to drive a certain make of car only. However, it is recognized that it would be difficult to adminster such a plan, and according to the police it would add unncccessarily to their task, already great, if they had to re-examine a driver every time he bought a new car. Another proposal is that the license holders should be graded, and that only those with a first class, or “A” license should be permitted to drive within the city proper. Here again the police object, saying that no driver should be given a license until he or she is thoroughly efficient. There should be no inferior grades of efficiency.

It has been said that the test in Sydney at least is not severe enough, and that the testing officers, who pass upwards of 300 new drivers each week, have too much to do, and are unable to pay sufficient attention to each individual. There does not appear to be any justification for this view, and the motorists themselves agree that the test is too severe for them. They say that many of the accidents are not due to inefficiency, but to carelessness. They point out that there are hundreds of drivers who have been driving for years who have never had an accident of any sort. Strict attention to traffic laws is said to be the best safeguard against motor accidents—this coupled with moderate speeds under all circumstances. When there was an epidemic recently of accidents involving women drivers it was said that the police were not strict in their tests of women applicants for licenses. The Traffic Department asserts that the tests do not differ from those applied to men. The only “reform” which seems to find favour with the police authorities is really not a reform—simply the enforcement of existing traffic regulations. It is recognized however, that there are laws for pedestrians as well as for motorists, and the enforcement as far as pedestrians are concerned should be just as strict as it is in regard to motorists.