A RISKY PRACTICE

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 65781, 28 February 1925, Page 4

A RISKY PRACTICE

ALMOST AN ACCIDENT . 9 PROMPT ACTION BY ENGINE DRIVER What might have been a very serious accident occurred on Wednesday evening, February 25th, at abdut 6 p.m., at the railway crossing over Stanley road, Herriesville. As the train from Hamilton to Paeroas was close to the road crossing a motor car dashed over the rails, going towards Elstow. The engine was so near to it that the engine drive put on the emergency brake and so reduced his speed as to allow the motor car to get over in safety, and the power of the brakes was such as to cause the train to stop on the roadway. The train was a fairly heavy one, having about 25 waggons of coal, timber and general merchandise, and three cars and van, and a good compliment of passengers. If the locomotive had hit the motor car it would be difficult to forsee what may have happened to the passengers in the train, as the engine and a fair number of waggons could easily have been derailed, with perhaps injury to some of the passengers. This occurrence should act as a warning to motorists, especially now that Stanley road has been bituminised, as motorists have been too keen to put up high speeds on this road since the Borough Council re-laid the road in metal about a year ago. Now that it has a good even top and is bituminised this tendency to speed is likely to increase unless motorists take a more commonsense view of their responsibilities, both as regards their own safety and that of their passengers.

The driver of the train deserves to be commended for his promptness in applying the emergency brake, as there is little doubt that he saved the motor car and driver from a bad smash, in adition to possible risk to his passengers.