Traffic Offences.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20091, 21 November 1930, Page 10

Traffic Offences.

There are some curious things in the table of convictions for traffic offences included in the report, of the Transport Department. It is not curious, but natural, that Christchurch should have six or seven times as many convictions for cycling on footpaths as the other chief cities taken together, but it is a little strange that after doing so well (or ill) on the footpaths, we secure only fifty per cent, of the total convictions for cycling without lights. Nor is it clear at a first glance why we should lead the Dominion in " unlawful conversions," and beat all other cities hollow for convictions for " excessive speed." Most people suppose, or would say if they we. asked, that the speed of cars in Auckland and Wellington is much greater than it is here, but it is apparently not so easv there as it is here to work speed-traps successfully. So far as intoxicated motorists are concerned, the big surprisr is the fact that only 116 convictions were secured throughout the v hole Dominion, Auckland leading with a little less than one case per week. On the other hand it is clear that Auckland is a dangerous place for the negligent driver, since it convicts many offenders of this class every year as the other three cities combined, and averages about tiiree cases every day. Auckland and Wellington are also well ahead of Christchurch in parking offence convictions, though we beat both in convictions for failure to register and license, as well as in " other traffic offences." Dunedin oddly enough seems to close the other eye when motorists offend, or has methods of dealing with them which are not -orded in Government reports.