CODE OF THE ROAD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 156, 20 July 1937, Page 3

CODE OF THE ROAD

Traffic Inspector Finds Sense of Humour Helpful MR SEMPLE & HIS SVREN "I have found that a sense of humour is very helpful in my work, and 1 certainly have no desire to take cases to Court except where serious or flagrant breaches have been committed," said Mr H. R. Semple, Main Highways Board inspector, in the course of an interesting talk on traffic control and the road code at the weekly lnncheon of the Napier Rotary Club yesterday. Mr Semple stressed that the aiins of traffic inspectors wero to educate tbo public and co-operate with motorists, cyclists and pedestrians in making the roads safer. They were not striving all the time to get a big bagful of convictions. Mr Semple answered a number of questions by Rotarians. He explained that the use of pedestrian crossings seemed to be causing some confusion. A pedestrian, he said, had the right of way over only half the road at a time. That half was the half on whicli he waa walking, the centre line of the road forming the division. A pedestrian crossing the road did not have the right of way over cars approaching from his left until he had pasSed the centre of the road. When the pedestrian did have the right of way, it was imperative that the motonst should give way. A questioner suggested that if tlie crossings were set back some feet from the actual intersection it would be possible for a motorist making a righthand turn to proceed with safety and yet not hold up the traffic at the intersection if he found he had to givq way to a pedestrian who was crossing the street into which he was turning. Mr Semple said he appreciated this point, and he .thought the change might be made after it had been considered fully. Mr Semple mentioneci tliat, wherever possible, he preferred to have an absolute check on the speeds of cars before iaying a charge for speeding. He always paced behind a motorist whom he believed to be oifending, and did nOt read the speed from his ovrn speedometer until he was travelling at the same speed as the offending vehicle at a fixed distance behind it. It was easy to overstate the speed if allowance were not made for the fact that for some little distance the pursuer would be gaining in speed on the car in front. Mr Semple dealt with the use of the lyren. He used this, he said, only when it was necessary to do so to attract the attention of a motorist whom he jvas desiring to overtake and to warn other traffic when «a car was being followed aeross intersections. Other means had been suggested, oue of which was that he should' draw alongside the pursued car and hold his cap out oi; the window, but Mr Semple tnought that, in the circumstances, this wouJd creatu as inucK danger as the offending cai was doiug. "I do not like using the syre'n myself," said Mr Semple. "It is not a pleasant sound, and 1 use it only when L feel it is necessary." Mr Semple quoted statistics of recent accident's, siiowing the large proportionof recent accidents involving rental cars. A great number oi offences in all types of vehicles, he addcd, were committed by unlicenseti drivers. Offences were ofien committed unwittingly, liowever, and h'e preferred to deal witli such cases on the spot. The majority of motorists were reasonable and willing to conform to the regulations. He had a large territory to cover, extending from Wairoa to Waipukurau. He regarded time spent in Court as time lost from his main job of helping to inake the roads safe.