A Dangerous Practice

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 119, 5 April 1892, Page 4

A Dangerous Practice

Within the las.t few days we have * had to record two fatal accidents : attributable to the same cause. Each ' was. of a peculiarly sad character. In the one case the victim was a bride, and the accident occurred on Ucr wedding day, as her newly-espoused husband was driving her home In ! the other an elderly woman was killed as her son was driving her to her home. Both . accidents occurred at night, and in neither case were there ; any lights on the vehicle." So far as , can be judged from the evidence at the inquests, neither accident would have occurred had lights been carried. The dangers which caused the disasters could then have been seen and avoided. When people are brought up. before the Police Cojrt on a charge of driving- at night without lights the offence is generally regarded as a trivial one, &nd met by a small fine. It is really one of the most dangerous offences which can be committed, and wherever detected should be severely punished. No man who sets out to drive a vehicle without lights along a public thoroughfare in the dark can say what damage may result from his careless act. He endangers not only his own life and the lite of any one lie may have with him, but also tbose of others travelling on the same road. In is usually through pure carelessness that the lights are neglected. In the Hutt-road accident, there was actually a candle in a bottle on the trap, but even this primitive lantern was not lighted, or the accide would probably not have occurred. The variou 6 local bodies should take care that the carrying of proper lights is strictly enforced on all vehicles on public roads after nighttall, and the police should be particularly careful to stop all vehicles which have not lights. No doubt, in both the fatal j cases we have referred to, the unlighted traps were allowed to pass several policemen without any notice being taken. Had they been stopped two lives might have been saved. — Post.