MOTOR ACCIDENTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1005, 23 June 1930, Page 10

MOTOR ACCIDENTS

POSITIVE TRAFFIC RULES ADVOCATED ROTARY CLUB ADDRESS Holding that th© traffic regulations, which were not based on the increased use of motor-vehicles and present-day speeds, were largely responsible for th© increase of motor accidents in Xew Zealand, Rotarian J. Laird, addressing the Potary Club this afternoon, advocated the adoption of a set of positive rules to apply to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Potarian President Stan Peid presided. Potarian Laird based his address upon his experience as an engineer, and an adjuster in accident cases for insurance companies. After comparing th© United States’ death-roll of 27.000 last year in traffic acicdents, with Xew Zealand’s toll of b7S. Potarian Laird said that on a population and use of motor vehicles basis, the Dominion was holding its own. He pointed out that in th© past 12 months there had been 600 claims under the third party insurance risk. A total of 241 pedestrians and 253 cyclists had been involved in acicdents. In Auckland City and district about 2,000 accidents occurred in a. year, involving an average of from £2O to £3O damage. Mr. Laird said that the motorists of Xew Zealand provided about £200.000 annually under third party risk and £IOO.OOO under comprehensive policies for the courts to handle. Accidents were causing: a huge community waste, he said. The motorists formed the only' section of the community' which was called upon to provide compensation and he considered it was a reflectio non the system that the situation was not properly' coped with. He declared that it was vital to have simple and understandable rules for the control of traffic, but pointed out that the regulations in Xew Zealand were based upon a speed of 15 m.p.h., whereas traffic was moving on an average of 3 Om.p.lifl. Positive preferential rules, of which “keep to th© left” was the only' on© that Xew Zealand possessed, were required, and these regulations should apply to all traffic, including pedestrians. Rotarian Laird went on to refer to the “boomerang’’ effect of the third party risk, under which the claims had increased from £2OO to £SOO before the system was introduced, to £2,000 to £2,500 at the present time. He impressed upon the assemblage that insLirance did not give a complete cove rto motorists or to the public. He also expressed the opinion that a special court, similar to that in Germany, where experts guided the judges, was required to deal with traffic cases. He also held the view that models of cars should be used for the benefit of the juries in claims heard in the Supreme Court. A vote of thanks was accorded Rotarian Laird for his address.