RULE OF ROAD

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27410, 24 July 1954, Page 6

RULE OF ROAD

UNIVERSAL SYSTEM ADVOCATED

N.Z. APPROACH TO OVERSEAS ORGANISATIONS

Letters under the signatures of the presidents of the South Island and North Island Motor Unions will be sent to leading motoring organisations in Britain. Australia, and South Africa next week urging that they support the principJe of driving on the right of the road. “After giving the matter very careful consideration, and with the full support of all the automobile associations in this country, we havd formed the opinion that to attain the ultimate ideal of a universal rule of the road the desirability, at an appropriate time, of changing over to driving on the right-hand side of the road should be kept in mind,’’ says a copy of the letter.

b “It is realised tjiat any basic change in the rule of the road must be approached from the point of view of the At the British Commonwealth, and that the change which we have in mind would need to be supported by the majority of other Commonwealth countries before its introduction could be expected. With this in view we are approaching your organisation and the controlling motoring bodies of other parts of the Commonwealth to urge your consideration and support of the proposed change.” The letter says that universal rightL an< l should be supported for the following reasons:—(l) That most of the world’s road users now drive on the right side; (2) with modern air travel a motorist in a matter of hours may now drive in countries where a different rule applies; (3) the standardisation of all vehicles with a left-hand drive would be welcomed by the motor industries and allow economies to be made in manufacture; and (4) it would increase road safety and allow standardisation of traffic rules and traffic control