THE SPEED LIMIT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 1, 7 September 1942, Page 4

THE SPEED LIMIT

NO doubt some economy in petrol and tyres will be effected if the authorities enforce the new regulations limiting- the maximum speed for vehicular traffic in this country to forty miles an hour. It would seem, however, that a large section of present-day transport — namely military traffic —is to be excluded from this limitation, as are various emergency vehicles. There seems no good reason why all vehicles, official or otherwise, should not be compelled to adopt so common-sense a saving, except in a time of actual emergency. Apart from this, however, it should be recognised by the authorities, as well as by all users of vehicles that moderate speed is not the only —nor the most important—measure of economy. Many a vehicle is driven so carelessly at speeds lower than 40 m.p.h. that its petrol consumption is high and its tyres rapidly wear out. In the case of public transport vehicles, overloading is to-day a common abuse of tyres, besides being a cause of transmission and other mechanical trouble. Regulations dealing with a single aspect of transport economy may be useful as far as they go, but the real need is for general appreciation of the importance of all-round care of every transport vehicle. The careless ways of the past must ,be amended. Any form of wastefulness in the operation, of motor vehicles should be checked, either by educative propaganda or appropriate penalty.