SAFETY ON THE ROADS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 12, 16 January 1939, Page 6

SAFETY ON THE ROADS

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN \ NEW ZEALAND / COURTESY OF ROAD USERS HOTEL PROPRIETORS ACT WELL [ Per Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 14. “Practically all road users, motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, deserve the thanks and appreciation that have been offered by the Transport Department and myself upon the success of the recent courtesy effort," said the Minister of Transport, Hon. R. Semple, to-day, when expressing thanks for messages of appreciation he had received, and particularly of one from the South Island Motor Union. Mr. Semple said the officers of the North and South Island Motor Unions and motorists whom they represented deserved to be congratulated upon the excellent safety record they had achieved during the holidays. The unions had done much to assist the cause of road safety. "South Island motorists had a particularly outstanding courtesy record during the holidays,” said Mr. Semple. “In the last 1 18 days only two traffic deaths have n occurred in the South Island roads, compared with 12 in the North Island, and both of these fatalities involved pedestrians on busy highways in the evening. Clean Sheet. "For the first holiday period on record New Zealand appears to have had a clean sheet so far as serious drunken driving accidents are concerned. This is a record of which all road users might well be proud. "Reports have reached me of hotel proprietors refusing to sell liquor to motorists who have 'just had one oi two.’ Hotel proprietors deserve the thanks of the community in this respect.” Another feature of the holidays. Mi. Semple said, was the absence of accidents on the realigned and resurfaced stretches of highway which carried exceptionally heavy traflic, and yet many of them had an acci-dent-free record. Most, of the serious accidents during the holidays had occurred on non-bitumen roads with many bad bends. Motor-Cyclist's Position. “The exposed position of motorcyclist and his pillion-rider was well | reflected in the accident figures," said Mr. Semple. "Motor-cars were in- / volved in five times as many accidents Y as motor-cycles, but the latter in->'< variably involved injuries of a more serious nature, and four of them were fatal." The Minister said that the question of a speed limit for motor-cyclists would be considered at the next meeting of the Road Safety Council. It was up to dealers throughout New Zealand in their own interests to get together and organis» a special campaign for young motor-cyclists.