The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6, 1946 ROAD ACCIDENT FATALITIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 46, 6 November 1946, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6, 1946 ROAD ACCIDENT FATALITIES

ROAD accident figures fell away substantially during the war when there was a heavy curtailment on motorised traffic, but statistics taken over the first year of peace serve to indicate that the number of deaths on the road are mounting steadily and have practically reached their pre-war peak. In the five months ended May 31 this year 79 deaths have \ been recorded as a result of road accidents involving motor vehicles. For the corresponding periods in 1938 and 1939 both prior to the war—the totals were 114 and 115 respectively. In the first complete year of the war the total for the five months was 99, in 1941 it had fallen to 88, and in 1942 to 68. There was a slight rise to 70 in 1943, a drop to 62 in 1944 and a further decline to 44 in 1945. The number of deaths this year is, then, the highest for five years and although it is a long way short of the totals for 1938 and 1939, a continuation of the heavy death-roll last June when 15 fatalities occurred in road accidents, will bring the year’s aggregate up to the pre-war level. If this increase in serious road accidents is to be kept in check special efforts must be made at this juncture to ensure the exercise of the utmost care by motorists and pedestrians alike. With the arrival of further shipments of motor vehicles from overseas, and a relaxation in petrol restrictions, it may be anticipated that there will soon be a return to more normal road traffic. Several factors have contributed to make this transition period one of unprecedented danger. Many vehicles how in use have passed what in pre-war years would have been their “scrapping” age, and have been kept in running order only by constant mechanical adjustment and improvisation. The tyre shortage is a problem in itself, and the more frequent use of vehicles with badly-worn tyres will constitute a major danger. These circumstances are not momentary, but must remain pending the arrival of replacements in the form of new cars and tyres, a process that may take at least a year or two. Regarded from the personal point of view, the years of restricted motor vehicle use have tended to detract from the driver’s skill and alertness and from the pedestrian’s caution when using roads. These factors indicate the urgent necessity for the re-education of motorists and pedestrians alike in all aspects of road care. Particular attention must be devoted to the younger members of the community, many of whom have reached the ’teen ages during the war and have not been encouraged in that degree of road care which characterised pre-war days. The Government and local body traffic officials have been actively engaged in such a re-education programme and are planning even more extensive efforts. It is recognised that it is not only a question of preparing for a return to pre-war traffic, but for meeting the needs arising from increased numbers of vehicles. Between 1938 and 1946 the number of licensed vehicles in'the Dominion has increased from 275,000 to 295,000, and further increases will place added emphasis on the need for road care.