COWARDLY MOTORISTS

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1928, Page 6

COWARDLY MOTORISTS

“HIT AND RUN” DRIVERS. VICTIMS LEFT ON THE ROAD. Sydney, June 14. Melbourne is suffering from an epidemic of “hit-and-run” motorists —cowardly drivers who, whenever they strike a pedestrian, speed away leaving their victims on the road. Most of tho canes have occurred at night, and the motorists have trusted to luck, hoping that by keeping up their speed it would be difficult for any eye-witness to take their number. This difficulty of reading the dimly-lit number-plate of a fart-moving car hae brought forth a demand from ;!:< public for a better system. Formerly “liit-and-run” driver’s adopted the ruse of switching off their taillight when an accident occurred, but that dodge is impossible now, as the Victorian registration system demands that the tail light switch must be so placed that it cannot be operated from the driver’s seat. But there is great need of better lighting of the numberplate. All sorts of suggestions are being made with the idea of making the figures more easily read. Coloured figures, raised figures, and illuminated figures are all proposed. One man has patented a number-plate which can be read clearly at a distance of 65 yards. The plato and the taillight are united, and as eoon as the taillight is switched on it throws a light behind semi-transparent opal figures making them conspicuous on the darkest nigh t.