MOTOR ACCIDENTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 July 1939, Page 3

MOTOR ACCIDENTS

INCIDENCE VERY HIGH IN URBAN AREAS RELATIVELY LOW ON MAIN HIGHWAYS. OBSERVATIONS BY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT. (By Teleeraoh—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. July 19. A comparison between accidents in the towns and those on main highways and country roads, during the twelve months ended March 31 last, was made by the Minister of Transport, the Hon R. Semple, today. “From the traffic census carried out during the year,” the Minister said, “it was estimated that urban roads carried 30 per cent of all motor traffic, the main highways 60 per cent and other rural roads 10 per cent. On the urban roads carrying 30 per cent of traffic, 66 per cent of all accidents occurred. The main highways, carrying 60 per cent of traffic, were the scene of only 28 per cent of the accidents. The balance of 6 per cent happened on other rural roads. From these comparative figures, the accident hazard on a basis of road use by motor-vehicles is seen to be much greater in the urban areas than on the open road, while the hazard on the main highway system is less than on other rural roads. In urban areas, however, there is a considerable volume of pedestrian and cycle traffic which materially increases the potential hazard.” More than half of all the accidents in built-up areas were concentrated in the four metropolitan areas of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. <|ne-sixth of all urban accidents occurred in the larger boroughs, one-eighth in the smaller boroughs, and one-twelfth in the secondary cities. “Nearly a half of all the pedestrian accidents for New Zealand occurred in Auckland and Wellington,” said the Minister. “Over a half of the Christchurch accidents were collisions with bicyclists. There were also a large number of these accidents in Auckland, these two centres being the scene of nearly 40 per cent of all cyclist accidents through the Dominion.”