R.—4o.

REPORT:

1. INTRODUCTION. The following summary outlines the main facts recorded in this report:— (1) The quantity of petrol consumed in the calendar year 1939 was just under 100,000,000 gallons, or approximately 3,000,000 gallons more than in 1938. (2) The volume of motor traffic on the national roading system up till the introduction of petrol-rationing in September, 1939, was approximately 8 per cent, above the level for 1937-38. (3) New registrations of cars, commercial vehicles, and motor-cycles decreased by 37-4 per cent., 9-3 per cent., and 18-8 per cent., respectively, in 1939-40 as compared with 1938-39. (4) The total expenditure on roads, streets, and bridges in 1938-39 amounted to £12,900,000, or £2,300,000 more than that (£10,600,000) in 1937-38. (5) There were 227 fatal motor accidents in 1939-40 involving the loss of 248 lives, and 3,920 other accidents causing injuries to 5,341 people. (6) The deaths as a result of road accidents per 10,000 motor-vehicles declined from 8-85 in 1938-39 to 8-37 in 1939-40. (7) Daylight accidents decreased in 1939-40, while night accidents increased; the number of cyclists killed increased. (8) Reduction in number of road accidents involving school-children. (9) Further valuable work done by the Road Safety Council. (10) Valuable road-safety educational work was carried out in the Department's pavilion at the Centennial Exhibition by means of films and driver-testing machines. (11) Further progress in road-safety education in the schools. (12) The traffic force of the Department issued warnings or traffic offence notices for over 62,000 breaches of the regulations, compared with just over 50,000 in the previous year. Prosecutions authorized fell from 7,700 in 1938-39 to 7,244 in 1939-40. (13) A further improvement in the standard of mechanical fitness of motor-vehicles. Where at the first inspection for warrants of fitness in September, 1937, only 21 per cent, of vehicles inspected passed the standard tests, at the latest inspection in March, 1940, nearly 60 per cent, were found to be correct in every detail. (14) The claims paid and estimated liability under the Motor-vehicles Insurance (Third-party Risks) Act, 1928, were again much in excess of the total premiums collected for the year ended 31st May, 1939. (15) Special steps were taken, as part of the Dominion's war effort, for the purpose of eliminating waste, promoting efficiency, and conserving petrol in all public road transport services. (16) At the 31st March, 1940, there were 897 passenger services, 4,654 goods services, 1,050 taxi services, and 125 rental-car services licensed under the Transport Licensing Act, covering in all nearly 12,700 vehicles. (17) Considerable increase in the volume of business done by licensed motor transport.

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