Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1920. RECKLESS MOTORISTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2139, 12 June 1920, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1920. RECKLESS MOTORISTS.

'THE terrible motor accident near Wanganui, says the Auckland Star, is only one of many occurrences that point to the need for a revision of the laws governing motoring.. It Avould bo interesting to have some comparative statistics on the question of motor accidents, for, as regards both motorists and pedestrians, they seem to be much more numerous than they were. Almost daily there is news of some person or persons being killed or hurt. Thai there is a great deal'of careless, reckless driving is plain; one has only to keep one’s eyes open to see that. For every reckless motorist who comes to grief or knocks somebody over, there are hundreds of eases of furious driving where nothing happens. Lack of knowledge of the liner points of motoring perhaps has a good deal to do with accidents. Men get ears, and after a little tuition proceed to drive them regardless of conditions to which an experienced motorist would pay attention. The present stale of affairs is a danger to motorists themselves and all other people who use the roads. It must be remembered that motoring is rapidly increasing. Twenty years ago there was not a motor car in the country, and now there are many thousands, consequently new traffic conditions have arisen. The problem should be dealt with by Parliament on comprehensive lines. There should be some system of uniform licensing throughout I lie country, every motorist should be required to produce his license on demand, and a certain number of endorsements for breaches of the law should lead to cancellation or suspension. There should also be more uniformity in traffic regulations, and Dominion-wide measures should he taken to put down reckless driving, in all these measures I lie Government would have the assistance of the majority of motorists, for the “road hog” is a danger to other motorists as well as to himself, and brings discredit on the whole class.