ROAD ACCIDENTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 301, 20 December 1937, Page 6

ROAD ACCIDENTS

HON. K. SEMPLES ADVICE "An interesting conclusion may betaken from an accident map of the North Island, just prepared by my department for the information of holiday motorists,” said the. Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, on Saturday. ‘‘The rural stretches of road where accidents are most frequent are from Hamilton to Auckland, from Wellington to Waikane, Palmerston North to Wanganui, Dannevirke to Takapau, Hawera to New Plymouth, and Napier to Hastings. These are not the badiy surfaced, narrow, tortuous roads, but the flat straight inviting stretches of wellformed highway. These stretches of highway have been built to afford the motorist the maximum safety and the minimum running cost. They should be safety zones, but can be turned into danzer zones by the speed hog, who is a menace to society. Three of the fatalities during the 1936 Christmas week-end were caused by motor vehicles getting out of control and capsizing or crashing over banks on main highways, and there were 25 other casualties, many of them serious, from this cause, between last Christmas and New Year. Even though there will be an all-night patrol by my traffic inspectors on Christmas Eve. these stretches of main highway will be carrying a very much greater traffic than normally, and the greatest possible care is necessary. Many drivers will be tired' after a heavy day’s work and will be tempted to hurry with over-loaded; vehicles to get to a distant destina-l tlon. Twenty-four traffic deaths have! occurred in the period between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day since 1930, and of these Christmas Eve is easily the most dangerous. “The observations regarding the] danger of straight stretches of highway carrying heavy traffic apply! equally in the South Island as in the North,” said Mr Semple. “The foral is for Christmas motorists to realise

that main highways are carrying the heaviest traffic of the year on Christmas Eve; for the mto start early, not to hurry, to stop when they feel fatigued, and, above all, to be careful and courteous to other road users.”