LOSS OF YOUNG LIVES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 December 1938, Page 8

LOSS OF YOUNG LIVES

SAD FEATURE OF ACCIDENT PROBLEM

NEED OF SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN.

TRANSPORT MINISTER’S APPEAL.

(Special to the “Times-Age.”) WELLINGTON, This Day.

“The sacrifice on the roads of the lives of young people is the saddest feature of the accident problem,” said the Minister of Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) when referring to the loss of one hundred young lives in the twenty months ended November 30. "On the average, one person under 20 years of age was killed every sixth day, and over half of them were children under 15 years of age.” stated the Minister.

“In the period of eighteen months ended November 30, nearly 2,200 of our young people were injured—an average of 120 a month. Two in every seven were serious (or fatal) accidents.

“A great deal of advice and instruction has been given in the schools and parents must surely feel they are under a debt of gratitude to teachers. Maj - I say, however, without suggesting" that any parent is indifferent to his child’s safety, that though children may be taught the safety rules in the schools it is the duty of parents to support the teachers’ efforts and to see that risks are not taken by children when on the road.

“I know of some parents Who take their children on to the footpath, and to dangerous parts of roads in their neighbourhood, and personally demonstate the pedestrian rules; this is followed up by frequent reminders, and by example, until the safety habit is well-established in the child. T believe it is only in this way that the child can be protected from his natural impulsiveness. This training is most important between the ages of four and seven years,, when children on foot suffer so many accidents. “From eleven to sixteen years, cyclists suffer five times as many accidents as pedestrians of the same ages. The need for special training and supervision by the parent is therefore all the more necessary and urgent. “Another tragic aspect of these juvenile accidents,” the Minister continued, “is that though bicycle accidents are numerous there are more children -killed and injured when travelling in cars, and generally these cars are driven by parents. One would think that the presence of young children in the car would be sufficient to cause the parent to drive with the utmost care and with the thought always in his mind that his family may be endangered by one of those drivers who apparently place no value upon the lives of others. “Last December and January were easily the highest accident months in 1937-38 for child pedestrians, cyclists and passengers, but, as all parents do, I hope we may be spared these tragedies in the coming school holidays.”