MOTORISTS IN COURT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 410, 19 July 1928, Page 14

MOTORISTS IN COURT

COLLISIONS IN COUNTRY CASES AT PUKEKOHE r (From Our Own Correspondent.) PUKEKOHE, To-day. As a sequel to a car collision near the Karaka School on the Drury-Puke-kohe Road one night recently, Bruce Attewell was charged before Messrs. D. McCready Armstrong and J. T. Stembridge, J.P.’s, at the Pukekohe Court yesterday with negligent driving. The driver of the other vehicle, P. G. Ryder, his wife and his brother-in-law, said defendant approached and rounded a bend on the road at approximately 25 miles an hojir, and struck their car, which had been travelling at a pace not exceeding 15 miles, inflicting a deal of damage. The defendant and a companion denied the allegations of the witnesses f<?r the prosecution, and pointed out that the corner was rounded at a reasonable pace, Ryder’s car colliding as he (the former) was attempting to gain his correct side of the road. Attewell was fined «£2, with costs of £2 11s 4d.

Ryder was subsequently charged with not being in possession of a drier’s licence. It was said defendant had one for the previous year, and had only taken the wheel of the car to oblige his brother-in-law. He was fined 10s and ordered to pay 10s costs.

Arising out of a collision between two cars on a rainy Sunday evening last month, Raymond J. Crosbie was charged with failing to keep to the left when meeting another vehicle, failing to keep to the left centre line of the road, and neglecting to stop when an accident occurred. He pleaded not guilty.

Trevor Cox, a Public Works Department engineer, said he was ascending a hill into the town of Pukekohe when he met and was struck by defendant’s car. As a result of the impact his front wheels locked and witness’s car crashed into a fence. Witness said he was driving as near to the left as possible.

Corroborative evidence was given by two passengers. Defendant contended that his car must have been struck by Cox’s, and when descending the hill he kept well over to the left, giving the approaching car sufficient room to pass. As he only felt a slight bump he neglected to stop, but about a quarter of a mile further on he ascertained that his (defendant’s) car had been fairly extensively damaged.

After viewing the locality the Bench dismissed the first two charges and fined Crosbie £1 for failing to stop.