TOLL OF MOTOR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 October 1938, Page 6

TOLL OF MOTOR

ACCIDENT RATE LESSENED. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) BLENHEIM, This Day. “Twelve persons were killed on the roads last month compared with seventeen during the same month of last year,” said the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, when he arrived yesterday to speak in support of the Labour candidate, Mr F. P. Meachen. “A third of the fatalities occurred with 24 hours during one weekend.” The Minister regarded the improvement in the accident rate as greatly encouraging, particularly to motorists. Reports from all over the Dominion indicated a big improvement in motoring care and courtesy.

Mr Semple continued: “The pedestrian accident rate unfortunately has not. shown the same improvement, for just as many pedestrians were killed last month as during September of last year. More than half of all the fatal accidents and three of the pedestrian fatalities occurred at night time. The night accident rate to pedestrians during the past four months has been exceedingly serious. Thirty-three pedestrians were killed and more than four hundred injured between April and August. The last -reports showed that the hours of darkness were easily the most dangerous for pedestrians and on wet, windy nights the accident rate was exceptionally high.” “By a. curious coincidence,” Mr Semple added, “both this September and September of last year between 3.30 a.m. and 4.0 a.m. on Sunday morning cars crashed ofi: bridges, two persons being killed in each accident.” Mr E. P. Meachen, the Labo.ur candidate for Marlborough, delivered the principal address of his campaign in the Town Hall last night. He was sup? ported by Mr Semple. Apart from the largeness of the audience and its demonstrative enthusiasm the meeting was featureless, neither speaker breaking fresh ground. A vote of confidence was passed.