THE PEDESTRIAN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 205, 22 April 1932, Page 7

THE PEDESTRIAN

ENGLISH SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING SAFETY ON HIGHWAYS. ROADS STILL DANGEROUS. The British pedestrian is not al- ' together satisfied with the means pro- , vided for his safety on the roads. Ih a memorandum subftiitted by a deputation from the Pedestrians' Assoeiation to the Minister it was stated that the assoeiation had deemed it right to suspend final judgment on the effect of the abolition of the speed limit for light cars until complete figures were available showing the resiilts of the first year's working bf the Road Traffie Act. Those figures, it was added, are not. yet available, but the official information already given eonfirms" common observation and newsphper feports that the roads have been even more dangerous to the walking piiblic in 1931 than in 1930, which was a record year for accidents. The only detailed oifieial figures so far available to the public are the quarterly feturns on street accidents issued by the Metropolitan Police, and these show that during the three quarters ending September last the riuniber of pedestrians killed on the roads had risen from 614 to 648, despite a reduction of 20,000 in the number of motor-vehicle licenses issued in the metropolitan area. Skidding. j In partieular, newspaper reports j point to an increase in accidents diie to skidding, and here the assoeiation would stress that skidding should be deemed prima facie evidence of dangerous driving, which is defined in section 11 of the Road Traffie Acc as driving "at a speed or in a manner which is dangerous to the public, having regard to all the circumsc.mces of the case, including the nature, condition, and use of the road." The assoeiation called attention to the provisions in the Road Traffie Act whereby application can be made to the Minister of Transport for the reimposition of local speed limits, and trusted that, should figures prove that in important centres there was no marked diminution in the accidents to pedestrians, and should application be made by the appropriate local authority for the reimposition of speed limits in such centres, such applicktions would receive sympathetic consideration. In regard to vehicles which were still subject to statutory speed limits, the assoeiation trusted that those limits would be more rigidly enforced. The assoeiation asked for consideration to be given to the issue of regulations whereby it should be made compulsory for all vehicles subject to statutory speed limits to be fitted with some device that would give visible or/and audible indication v.hen such limit was being exceeded. Driving Tests. The assoeiation adhefed to its opinion that driving tests, which wTere compusory, in every country .iri the world, with the exception of Belgium and Bolivia, had a definite contribution to make to road safety, and in this respect it was interesting to note that last year 30 per cent. of the applicants for driving licenses in FranCe failed to pass the statutory driving tests. Until the question of driving tests had been dealt with by Parliament, the assoeiation urged that where accidents had resulted from the incompetence of the driver, owmg to physical disability or lack of road sense, greater resort should be made to the permanent suspension oi license.