DRIVERS MUST TAKE CARE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17837, 4 May 1926, Page 13

DRIVERS MUST TAKE CARE.

“ OFF-SIDE ” RULE HAS MANY ADVOCATES.

AUCKLAND A.A. WILL START A CAMPAIGN.

(Special to the “Star.’’) AUCKLAND, May 3. Statistics reveal that motor vehicle accidents are accounting for an average of one death a week in Auckland In addition, there is a person injured almost every day. The increasing number of motor-car accidents is occasioning the council of the Auckland Automobile Association deep concern, and it has been decided by the association to undertake an advertising campaign in an attempt to impress upon drivers the necessity for checking the gross carelessness with which some motor-cars are driven in the city. The association considers that the majority of careful motorists are likely to be penalised by irksome by-laws through the fault of a few who exercise very little sense of responsibility when in charge of cars. With a view to preventing the imposition of multifarious restrictions, the association appeals to responsible drivers to observe every rule of the road now operating. The most common forms of accident are collisions at street intersections, and recently interest in the “ off-side " rule for the guidance of motor vehicles meeting at crossings has been aroused by the endorsement of the principle by two Auckland magistrates. The rule aims to eliminate the risk of collisions by giving precedence to traffic which is on the right for off-side) of other vehicles. It is identical with the maritime regulation, which provides that when two vessels are crossing “ the vessel wliicii has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way.”

Quite erroneously, many drivers believe that main road traffic has precedence. This leads to both confusion and collision. The assumption of main road privileges is entirely without legal foundation, the reason obviously being that it would be unfair to place all the responsibility on the driver who is turning out of • a side road. A “ main road ” rule would lead to many abuses, and would certainly result in maximum speeds being maintained past intersections. Its application would also be difficult where two primary streets intersect. The following judgment delivered recently by Mr justice Ostler is important to motorists:—“lt is the duty of a driver or rider of a vehicle, in turning from a side road into a main road, to remember that there may be motor vehicles driven on the main road at excessive speed, and to take precautions against the possible negligence of motorists using the main road. If a driver does not do so, and, in consequence, he collides with a motor vehicle using the main road, he is himself guilty of contributory negligence, and cannot recover damages, however negligent the other driver may have been. The precautions which he should take are to drive slowly, to turn into the road on his correct side, and to keep a sharp looje-out so as to be read}’ to stop or to turn to the left or right to avoid a collision.”

The British Automobile Association has sponsored the “ off-side ’’ rule as the simplest means of. settling the question of precedence on . crossings. It has also been - suggested that the observance of the rule at night would be greatly facilitated if cars were required to carry a green light on the right and a red one on the left. When cars so equipped.met on a right, angle corner, one driver would see a red light and the other a green. The driver who observed the gre.eA light and was consequently on. the “ offside ” of the .other car, .would have the right of way.

“ The ‘ off-side 5 rule is an excellent safety measure, and would certainly be definite, in its operation,” said Mr J. A. Warnock, president of the Auckland Automobile Association. “ There should be some regulation of crossing traffic, and it is no use applying half a dozen different rules. . The main road idea is not right; and it is time it was dropped. Traffic in side streets has equal rights, and the * off-side ’ rule would ensure unanimity. At present everything is haphazard, and one has only to watch the traffic to appreciate the' confusion on corners.”

Mr R. E. Champtaloup, service offi cer of the Auckland Automobile Association, said the main road rules would be confusing owing to the difficulty in specifically classifying two important intersecting roads. “At present,” he said, “ there is danger of two drivers making a rush to get there first. The ‘ off-side ’ rule puts both in their places.” “If the- ‘ off-side ’ rule did not reduce the number of collisions it would certainly eliminate manv of the costly legal arguments and law suits, ’ said Mr R„ J. Laird, motor insurance assessor to the Auckland insurance companies, and author of a treatise on the causes of motor vehicle accidents. “At present magistrates har-c much time absorbed in listening to arguments which would be speedily settled if a rule existed which.would throw the onus on one. driver. The * off-side' rule was advocated when the Motor Vehicles Act was being drawn up, and it might well have been included. Of course, there, are extenuating eases where some line of demarcation might be in dispute.” “ Too many novice motorists venture into traffic without any idea of the precautions required of them, and the ‘ off-side' rule would soon fix the responsibility,” said Mr 11. W ynyard, a member of the Main Highways Board. “It is time there was a more exhaustive instruction in these safety measures.”