TRAINING IN ROAD COURTESY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 70, 9 April 1937, Page 6

TRAINING IN ROAD COURTESY

-Press Association.)

Magistrate's Suggestion For Bad Drivers PENALTY FOR OFFENCES

(By Telesraph—

WELLINGTON, Last Night. . A novel scheme likejy to be of con-i jsiderable importance in the future ad-j iministration of proseeutions in Welling-j ;ton for motoring offences was announcedj by the pricipal Wellington MagistratO|i jMr E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magis-j jt.rate's Court to-day. The sehemej 'which with the co-operation of trafficj lauthorities, is likely to be applied verjr! jsoo'n, provides for offenders in special; ; cases, and particularly when the offend-j jer is young, to be plaeed on probationl ifor a period, a condition of the proba-' |tion being the receiving of regular in-j istruction from a special "fficer in roadi "rules and road manners. Mr Mosley especially appealed to the local au-; thority for its co-operation, and expressed the opinion that, properly administered, the scheme would be of veryi ^onsiderable value in developing an} lappreciation of road responsibility. ' 'In cases of prosecutions under sec-i ition 28 of the Motor Yehieles Act, injvolving driving to the danger of thei ipublic," said Mr Mosley, "it has been isuggested to me— and I think it iB a-, •very good idea, if the co-operation of | |the road and traffic authorities can bel jobtained — in special cases, to placei joffending drivers on probation for a}* period. In my opinion, the sdhemej iwould be of particular value in thej .case of young drivers. In some cases/ iit may he suggested t.hat the punish-j ment would not be eqnal to the offence; but there are many in which it is quite advisable to adopt the suggestion. "A condition of the probation," eontinued Mr Mosley, "would be .that the offender would be required to undergo1 .a period of training in road courtesy^ road manners, and generally, how xe-i sponsibly to drive a car. If the cooperation of the traffic .authorities can> ,be obtained, a special man with specialj .'qualifications would he set aside to in-i jstruct those plaeed on probation. Theyi would he required, as part of the pun-j .ishment, to attend at an agreed time/ ;or if one cannot be agreed upon, at a itime fixed hy the Court, say, for halfi {an hour once a week, or as otherwise {decided, over a period."