DEATH ON ROADS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 December 1938, Page 5

DEATH ON ROADS

PENALTY OF CARELESSNESS

NEED FOR CAUTION.

TRAFFIC INSPECTOR’S ADDRESS AT COLLEGE.

“The first penalty is death,” said Inspector J. McGregor, when speaking to the assembled pupils of Wairqrapa College this morning on the dangers of carelessness by cyclists, pedestrians and motorists on the highways. “Look at tnat car there,” said Mr McGregor, indicating a badly-wrecked vehicle standing nearby. “Three people were killed in that car, which was struck by a lorry on a bend. The second penalty is to be maimed or crippled for life and the third is killing or crippling some other person.” There were many men, said Mr McGregor, who were now in gaol because they had been careless while in charge of a motor vehicle.

In order to give a practical application to his remarks, Mr McGregor had a street intersection marked out on the grounds, with traffic domes, and by the use of cyclists was able to demonstrate the rules that it was imperative to observe for safety. Mr McGregor stressed the importance of pedestrians looking for approaching traffic before crossing a road and also of crossing at right angles. It was a very dangerous practice for children to play on the streets. “It is better to be five minutes late than 25 years too soon in the next world,” observed the inspector when drawing attention to the wisdom of stopping if in doubt. A car travelling at 40 miles per hour covered 68ft per second ana it was well for pedestrians to remember that, as it took a second before the average driver reacted to the need-Tor braking and the braking distance of a car travelling at that speed was 88ft. More accidents, he pointed out, occurred between 5 . and 7 p.m. than at any other time during the day or night. A good motto was: “At sundown, slow down.” Death in a car, he said, began at a speed of 40 miles per hour. A car travelling at 50 miles per hour was four times harder to stop than one travelling at 25 miles per hour. The faster a driver travelled the shorter his range- of vision became and detail in the foreground faded away. At a speed of 45 miles per hour a driver’s eyes were focussed 1270. feet ahead, at 65 miles per hour his eyes were practically on infinity. At 60 miles per hour the driver was called upon to see accurately and in detail over 1800 feet ahead, when the car was travelling at the rate of 85 feet per second. It could not be done.

“A car,” said Mr McGregor, “may be an angel or a devil. It depends on the driver at the wheel.” Mr McGregor went on to refer to the terrific forces involved when two cars collided. If motorists realised the enormous forces they were handling, he said, it would make for safer driving. If a driver were dazzled at night by glaring lights he should slow down and if necessary stop. A driver should always think of speed in feet per second and not in miles per hour. ?