PEDESTRIAN’S SAFETY

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17985, 2 April 1930, Page 13

PEDESTRIAN’S SAFETY

WHERE SHOULD HE WALK?

NEW RULE OF ROAD SUGGESTED. PROTECTION OF MOTOR DRIVERS. On what part of the road should a pedestrian walk for his own safety ami for the safety and protection of moloi traffic? That question is discussed by Mr W. G. Walkley, secretary ol the South Taranaki Automobile Association, in a report to the North Island Motor Union, which he submitted to the Automobile Association. “I have given a good deal of thought to this matter and have for some weeks past paid close attention to the effect of pedestrians walking on the left-hand side of the road, both by day and by night,” says the report. In the recent case Cooper v. Symes, heard at Wanganui by Mr J. H. Salmon, S.M., the following passage In the judgment occurs: ‘A point that was not taken for the defence, but which might, I think, carry some weight, though I do not propose to base my decision on it, is that the plaintiff and her husband chose to walk upon the left-hand side of the road. The rule of the road is thus stated In Bevcn on Negligence, 4th Edition, at 6.624: “The custom or law of the road is that horses and carriages should respectively keep on the near or left side and foot passengers take the right hand”; and this is judically recognised without proof. The advisableness of this rule will be plain since the foot passenger walking on his right-hand side of the road will be facing any approaching traffic, and will run comparatively little or no risk of being overtaken or run down from behind. The necessity for the observance of such a rule would, 1 think, apply even more strongly on a dark road at night.’ “It seems to me, if I may venture to say so without presumption,” continues the report, "that the magistrate’s view is a Very practical and sensible one. To put the position concisely, it appears at the present time that the law is that motor traffic must keep to the left' and overtake on the right, while although it may he the rule of the road as stated by the magistrate for pedestrians to walk on the right-hand side of the road, the practice in this country is for pedestrians to take the left-hand side of the road. Two Cardinal Points. “The object of making it obligatory upon motorists to keep to the left is obviously to make the highway as sale as possible for vehicular users. • It seems only reasonable that regulations should be made making it equally obligatory' for pedestrians to observe some universally recognised rule of the road. In fixing such a rule it seems to me two cardinal points must be kept in mind: (1) The safety of pedestrians; (2) the protection of other road users. I have come to the very definite opinion that as long as wheeled traffic keeps to the left pedestrians should keep to the right-hand side of the road or walk on the left at their peril. “Perhaps the position will be clarified if I slate the pros and cons—

“(1) To the pedestrian: He is walking towards approaching traffic (not with it as at present), and therefore is in a position to do his share to avert an accident if the necessity arises. “(2) When a pedestrian walks on the left he has his back to the overtaking traffic, and in most cases pursues the even tenor of his way, placing the whole of the responsibility upon the driver of the overtaking vehicle. It takes two to make an accident in a case such as this, and the present practice of leaving all the precaution to avoid an accident in the hands of the motorist is unwise, unfair and distinctly dangerous to the pedestrian. “(3) When two cars are meeting at night there is always a ‘black area’ in which it is impossible for a driver momentarily to discern anything. It does not matter how good a car’s lights, are this ‘black area’ invariably occurs. Any pedestrian walking with his back to approaching traffic is certainly exposed to the dire periL of being run down in the ‘black area.’ (4) On a wet and foggy night, and indeed on any night at all, a person walking with his back to approaching traffic attains the maximum of invisibility. If, on the other hand, he walks towards approaching traffic he enjoys maximum visibility by reason of white face, collar and shirt-front. These may seem small things, but in my experience they are very real and valuable indications on a wet or foggy night, especially by reason of the evergrowing popularity of black bitumen roads.

“Coming now to the disadvantages, I And very little to say excepting—“(l) There seems to have grown up in the country a partially recognised custom of pedestrians walking on the left, and it might conceivably be argued that it would be hard to educate people to walk on the right. My answer to this is that it took motorists in New Zealand only a few weeks to accustom themselves to the right-hand rule. “(2) When one car is overtaking another, particularly at night, the pedestrian walking on the right would have his back to the overtaking car. To the motorist this disadvantage is more apparent than real, because the onus to exercise care is already upon the driver of the overtaking vehicle. “To sum up; it appears to me that the advantages of giving legal recognition to the rule of the road as laid down in Beven considerably outweigh the disadvantages, so much so that 1 fee] the North Island Motor Union might very well sponsor the enactment of a suitable regulation making it obligatory upon pedestrians to walk on the right-hand side of the road.’’