The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1932. TOLL OF THE ROAD.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1932. TOLL OF THE ROAD.

Trip, eno.-mous loss of Ife recorded daily oa the roads is causing much tnought and enquiry as to the best means of coping with it, as it is increasing daily and is costing as lnu.ih human life as the smaller wars. The statistics supplied are of an euorn bus nature. During three years of r the South African War Great BrJain lost 530 J killed and 22,800' wounded. Last year on her public highways J:e lost 6591 killed and 202,199 injured. The total of killed and injured on the roads is now twice as great as it was in 1924 and rive times as great as in J9ll'. Las't year eighteen rlersons were killed on the roads every' day in Britain. The London Metropolitan Police return shows that- the number of accidents iit the area during the first three months ’of 1832 was 27,977, against 56,402 in .'the co-.Tespoudi::g period, of last year. Of tho 224 pides« trail vie Sims, 114 • were classified cs “crossing without due euro,” 34 as “‘hesitating and-or faltering,” and 25 as passing behind or in, front of stationary vehicles. The number cf children under five years of age who we:e killed, was 15—an .increase of seven. Toil are described' as “crossing without due care.” The figure for children between five and 15 remained stationary, at 43—29 “crossed without due care ” —and persons over 15 increased from 165 to 166. Private cars were rw-p uisible for 104 deaths (87, in the cornrsponding quarter) and 4045 cases of injury (3777 in the corresponding quarter). Of the' pedal cycle deaths five were caused bv cutting in in front of'other Vehicles, and six through riders losing .control of their machines. The great bulk of accidents in the count]y is duje either to motorists passing one another at blind bends or other spots •where there is Hot clear vision ahead;, or to drivers from sideroads entering main roads without proper care© The first type of accident can onily he dealt with by drastically puni. thing offenders whenever they are ca-aght. The. recond class could be largely eliminated by the erection of spec a l signs of secondary roads indicating to drivers that the main road traffic has priority. In the towns the best remedy would be to make ‘dangerous walking’ pumV,liable, and to "take stranger action against offending cyclist*. Among the causes of tied '.louts are inexpariehej on the part of some drivers, tincl the great variety of road serviews employed in different parts oi the country.