SAFER-CAR MOVE

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31110, 13 July 1966, Page 16

SAFER-CAR MOVE

Australian Panel

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyriffltl) CANBERRA, July 12. A panel has been set up to investigate production of safer cars for Australian roads.

The panel, of eight members, will Immediately investigate door locks, wheels and seats.

The Minister of Shipping and transport, Mr G. Freeth, who announced this yesterday, said the Australian Transport Advisory Council decided last year to form the panel. Its basic term of reference is: “to reduce road deaths and to minimise the number and severity of injuries to occupants or other road users and pedestrians by the production of a safer road vehicle.” It will initiate Its own Investigations and accept assignments from the Australian Motor-Vehicle Standards Committee to study cars and their component parts and accessories. It will have the power to co-opt independent experts and organisations for its studies. The chairman of the new body, known as the Australian Motor-Vehicle Design Advisory Panel, will be the controller of the land transport section of the Department of Shipping and Transport and chairman of the Standards Committee, Mr J. H. W. Permezel. Other members will be the chairman of the Australian Road Safety Council (Dr. J. R. Darling); the director of aviation medicine with the Department of Civil Aviation (Dr. J. C. Lane); the DeputyCommonwealth Statistician, Queensland (Mr S. E. Solomon); the chairman of the Victorian Traffic Commission (Mr J. D. Thorpe); Mr J. F. Lawson, of General MotorsHolden’s Pty. Ltd., nominated by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries; the reader in mechanical engineering at the University of Melbourne (Mr P. N. Joubert); and the chairman of the human factors committee, Australian Road Research Board, (Mr R. W. Cumming).

Mr C. R. Wilkins retired recently as assistant district manager of the Government Tourist Bureau in Wellington. He had held the position since 1960.