AUTOMOBILIST’S OFFENCE

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1930, Page 16

AUTOMOBILIST’S OFFENCE

ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT FINED. CHARGE OF DANGEROUS DRIVING. Sydney Channing Tonks appeared before Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., at the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday on a charge of driving in a manner that 'might have been dangerous to the public. He was fined £1 with costs amounting to £1 Ils.. Mr. R. H. Quilliam, appearing for the Taranaki County Council, which prose-cuted,-said that'Tonks had been an unlucky njan. . Though a careful and experienced driver he had taken a risk when two members, two inspectors and -an-employee of a local body were, present. The car containing the local body representatives had beep 'going down Tarahua Road towards. Junction Road while a motor-lorry was coming up the Junction Road hill. Tonks was coming to New Plymouth and tried .to pass the' lorry and. had to go on the wrong side of the road. . No accident had taken place as the driver of the other car was an 'experienced driver. It was a piece of carelessness on the part of the defendant and he hid frankly acknowledged his mistake. Mr. A. A. Bennett said defendant had been driving for over 18 years and had never been before the court on any charge- whatever. He felt his position the more keenly because he .was president of an automobile association. He knew road construction was in piogross and thought if he did not pass the ' two- lorries, that confronted him he 'would have some difficulty in. following'. behind them. He knew he was in the wrong but he asked the court to consider his. past record and his admitted ability to drive. Mr. Bennett suggested that; the case did not, call -for any special penalty. . There was another unfortunate aspect of . the case apart, from those mentioned, said Mr. ..Jate, and that was that the indiscretion of good drivers was encouraged by the standard of driving in the ’district. So many offences were not brought to light that the standard was lower than it should be. This kind of case was valuable) It was not connected with any accident and was purely disciplinary. A case based on a collision did not give motorists the education they required.