A RISKY PRACTICE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4817, 2 March 1925, Page 3

A RISKY PRACTICE.

SPEEDING AT CROSSINGS. ACCIDENT NARROWLY AVERTED. What might have been a very serious accident occurred on Wednesday evening, February 25, at about 6 o’clock, at the railway crossing over Stalled Road, Hcrriesville, states the "Te Aroha News." As. the train from Hamilton to Paeroa was close to the road crossing a motor-car dashed over the rails, going towards Elstow. The engine was so near to it that the engine driver put on the emergency brake and so reduced his speed as to allow the motor-car to get over in safety, and the power of the brakes was such as to cause the train to stop on the roadway. The train was a fairly heavy one, having about 25 waggons of coal, timber, and general merchandise, and three cars and van, and a good complement of paissengeis. If the locomotive had hit the motorcar it would be difficult to foresee what may have happened to the passengers in the train, as the engine and a fair number of waggons could easily have been derailed, with perhaps injury to some of the passengers. This occurrence should act as a waniingito motorists, especially now that Stanley Road has ben bituminised, as.motorists have been too icden to put up high speeds on this, road since the Borough Council re-laid it in metal about a year ago. Now that it has a good even top and is bituminised. this tendency to speed is likely to . increase unless motorists take a more commonsense view of their responsibilities, both as regards thenown safety and that of their passengers. . The driver of the train deserves to be commended for his promptness in applying the emergency brake, as there is little doubt that he saved the motor-car and driver from a bad smash, in addition to' possible risk to his passengers.