A GOOD RECORD

Hokitika Guardian, 19 April 1932, Page 6

A GOOD RECORD

NO RAILWAY FATALITIES. IN DOMINION FOR SIX YEARS. April IS. Six successfre years without one fatality to passenger is the outstanding Record of New Zealand railways. A big disaster, if heavy on the fatalities side, could spoil an average for years. Still, the fact is that the radways in New Zealand have avoided it. Figures taken out for five years by the Department of Railways afford striking comparison of New Zealand fatalities (gross and per unit of population) with those of the other two countries by road and by rail. Tn Great Britain, for the five years 1926-30 there were 2066 railway fatalities and 30.354 road fatalites. Tn America, during 1931 fatalities by rail totalled 50 and by road 33.000. Tn New Zealand, during the six years 1926-31 there were no railway passenger fatalities, but 1116 were killed in motor vehicle accidents.

The above are figures for a quinquennium. On a yearly average, they show the following results:— Deaths by Deaths by Rail. Road. Britain 413 6.071 United States 50 33,000 New Zealand ... Nil ISO Seeing that Britain has thirty times and the United States eighty times the population of New Zealand, the Department has worked out the figures per unit (11 millions) of population, and then shows the deaths per population uftit to he:— Deaths by Deaths by Ra.il. ' Road. ' Britain. 14 '202 United States 3 412 New Zealand Nil 186 The wheels of New Zealand trains have revolved without one passenger death in six yews; and in that time t New Zealand railways carried 150 millions passengers.