WAIHI MOTOR CYCLISTS IN COURT

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8147, 28 April 1931, Page 2

WAIHI MOTOR CYCLISTS IN COURT

BENCH IMPOSES FINES CASE OF NEGLIGENT DRIVING Sequel to a collision on the Tauranga road late one night recently, as a result of which a young girl sustained a fractured leg, two motorcyclists, Clifford Burns (20) and Hugh James Woods (19) appeared before Mr F. W. Platts, S.M., at the monthly sitting of the Waihi Magistrate’s Court. Burns pleaded guilty to a charge of negligent driving and not guilty of having failed to report the accident to the police forthwith, while Woods also denied the latter charge and a further one of not having had proper passenger footrests on his machine. Mr J. B. Beeche appeared for both dependants. Sergeant D. L. Calwell said that the injured girl had been a pillion rider on Woods’ machine. The accident occurred at about 10.30 o’clock at night, net very far from Waihi. Burns was returning to the Plains from Waihi and the other youth was proceeding towards the town. Burns, however, was on the wrong side of the road, and candidly admitted this, but had stated that he did not think the other machine was so near. Woods had had no chance of getting out of the way. The first intimation the police had of the accident was when Burns’ father rang up at 7.50 ’clock the following morning, while Woods telephoned later in the forenoon. The reason why it was necessary to report accidents immediately was that it enabled the police to be early on the scene and form an opinion from marks on the road, etc., whether action should be taken against any of the parties concerned.

FAILURE TO REPORT Constable Dalbetli said both cycles bad been fairly badly damaged in the collision. There were no footrests for a pillion rider on Woods’ machine, although (to Mr Beeche) be admitted that the driver’s footrests wore of the longer type. ' Counsel said there was no suggestion that the accident had been more severe because of the lack of passenger footrests, and as a matter of fact Woods had merely borrowed the machine for the evening. In regard to Burns, this defendant had been travelling at a reasonable rate when the collision took place. Referring to the charges of failing to report, Mr Beeche submitted that the police had been notified within a reasonablc time, considering that the young mens' first care had been seeing to the girl, and that the telephone exchange had been closed two hours when they finally left the hospital. “This is a bad and unfortunate business caused by the negligent driving of Burns, who deliberately travelled on the wrong side of the road at night,” said Mr Platls. “As a result this unfortunate girl is in hospital and may have been killed.”

Burns was fined £2 for negligent driving and his license was cancelled tor six months. For failing to notify the police within proper time Bunn and Woods were fined £1 and 10s respectively, with costs, while Woods was fined a further 10s on the footrest charge. Botii defendants were allowed one month in which to find the money.