TRAFFIC BREACHES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 245, 7 June 1932, Page 6

TRAFFIC BREACHES

MOTORISTS FINED SEQUEL TO ACCIDENT OUTSIDE GOLF LINKS NEGLIGENT DRIVING CHARGE The following traffic cases were dealt with by Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., in. the Rotorua Magistrate's Court yesterday morning: — The Borough traffic inspector (Mr. D. M. Ford) said that when he followed Alfred S. Miller, of Takapuna, from Whakarewarewa to Arawa Street, defendant drove his car at a speed of 40 miles per hour over three interseetions. He was also driving slightly on the wrong side, and it had been unsafe to pass him. Miller was fined £2, with 10/ - costs. The sequel to a recent accident outside the Arikikapakapa golf links was heard when James Devereaux was fined £2 with 12/- costs for negligent driving on Whaka Road on May 7. The traffic inspector stated that about 4.15 p.m. on the date in qhestion, Devereaux had been driving into Rotorua from Te Whaiti and had approached the golf links at a speed of 40 miles per hour. Mr. P. A. Kusabs had been backing his car out from the links, and in an endeavour to avoid a collision, defendant had applied his brakes. The car had been in loose metal at the time, and after the accident, a skid mark 83 feet long had, been measured. The car had shot right across the road and struck the bank, where it had capsized. Mr. Kusab's car was not damaged, but defendant's car suffered considerably, and a passenger travelling with him was injured. Hurrying to Catch Train Mr. R. A. Potter, who entered a plea of guilty on behalf of defendant, said that Devereaux had been hurrying to catch a train. He denied that he had been travelling at 40 miles per hour, but said that his speed had been just over 30 miles per hour. He was only a labouring man, and had already been considerably penalised by having to pay £20 to repair damage to the car. He had not previously offended. The magistrate allowed defendant 14 days in which to pay the fine. "When the visibility is bad, that is all the more reason for not cutting a corner. It only makes the offen.ee worse," said the magistrate, ,when Mr. E. Roe, appearing for Eldred Martin, charged with cutting a corner, suggested that bad visibility on the date of the offence had been responsible for the trouble. Senior-Sergeant Carroll said that defendant had been driving a butcher's van and had cut across the corner of Tutanekai Street and Haupapa Street. As a result he had collided with a car driven by Dr. Dorset. It had been raining heavily at the time, and visibility was bad. Mr. Roe said that the bad visibility appeared to have been largely responsible for the accident. Defendant was a youth drawing 37/6 a week, and counsel asked that he be given time to pay the fine. Martin was fined £1 with 10/costs. He was allowed a fortnight in which to find the. money. A plea of guilty to a charge of overloading was ent&red by Harry Dennett, lowry-owner, of Oruanui. Mr. E. Roe, who appeared for the Rotorua County Council, said that defendant had been driving a lofry carrying posts and weighing 5 tons 3001bs., on a four and a-half ton road. He had been fined on three previous occasions. Mr. G. McDowell, who appeared for the defendant, said that he was'instructed that Dennett had been overloaded only to the extent of lOcwt. He had been carrying green posts and had probably under-estimated his weight. Defendant was fined £5 with 12/eosts.