ROAD SAFETY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 94, 28 July 1944, Page 5

ROAD SAFETY

INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS

A.A. OFFICER'S VISIT

Instruction in road safety rules was given at the Wliakatane High Primary ami Convent Schools on Friday by A.A. officers. By means of film-strips Patrol Dixon, the A.A. resident patrol at Wliakatane,, illustrated the rules for safe walking and safe cycling.

Mr S. Ilingcr the A.A.'s senior safety instructor; in addressing the pupils at the District High School explained the "Danger Zone" which exists in front of every moving motor vehicle—this is the- minimum distance in which a vehicle can be brought to a stop. Many people imagined that four-wheel brakes on the modern vehicle are, so efficient that, this "stopping distance" is short, but they overlook what is known as "reaction distance." Reaction distance is the -distance a car travels between the time a, danger is seen and the time the brakes are applied. This may vary with different people from half a second up to two seconds and with a car travelling at 30 miles per hour this represents from 22 feet to 88 feet. The average driver takes three-quarters of a second to re-act which at 30 m.p.h. equals 33 feet which the cair would travel before the brakes were applied. To this must be added the braking distance (the average at 30 m.p.h. is 07 feet) making a stopping distance from 30 m.p.h. of 100 feet. This is the "Danger Zone." Wise pedestrians ancl cyclists keep out of Danger Zones by obeying safety first rules—wise motorists make allowances for their re-action ancl drive so that they can stop within half the clear distance, ahead. Parents arc appealed to„ to set a good example in their road conduct and thus in reducing our annual road accident toll. In 1913 130 neopie died as a result of road accidents whilst 2380 others were seriously injured. In accordance with the regular series of lectures on Road Safety given to schools in the Bay of Plenty, Mr Ringer proceeded to Opotiki on Monday via Taneatua.