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was purchased from Australia, and this has been used in conjunction with other films of an educational nature in showings to audiences throughout the country. Special showings of films were also arranged during the two Traffic Safety Weeks. 41. Leaflets. —Arrangements have been made to have leaflets printed from the Department's newspaper advertisements. Several thousand copies of these leaflets have been distributed to local bodies, automobile associations, and Traffic Inspectors for issue to the public. 42. Road Code. —A reprint of the Road Code and Summary of the Traffic Regulations came to hand during the year, and some 120,000 copies have been distributed through local bodies, automobile associations, and Traffic Inspectors. 43. Traffic Safety Weeks. —The first two of a series of Traffic Safety Weeks were held in Petone and Greymouth. In each case a number of additional Traffic Inspectors were drafted to the borough, and special propaganda activities were organized. The main feature of these campaigns was that the efforts were directed towards educating the public in safer road habits rather than in a prosecution drive. 44. Assistance is acknowledged from the press, National Broadcasting Service and other Government Departments, local bodies, and the many business firms, organizations, and private individuals who have submitted suggestions and offered active assistance •during the year. C. ROAD TRAFFIC INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS 45. The instruction of school pupils in correct practices in traffic has been continued both by the regular teachers and through visits of outside instructors. The Transport Department now employs seven full-time instructors upon this work, localbody Traffic Inspectors give instruction in a few centres, while many of the automobile -associations send patrol officers to the schools. All such instructors must be approved by a Committee representing the Education Board and the Transport Department, and traffic instruction in the schools in each district is allocated among the bodies proffering assistance. 46. Concern is felt at the upward trend in the number of accidents involving school pupils, both as pedestrians and as cyclists. There would seem to be need to further increase and to improve the instruction already being given. There is need also for closer and more frequent supervision of children on the road itself in many districts, both on their journeys to and from school and at other times. Unless the instruction given inside the class-room is followed up by supervision by traffic officers outside the school a great deal of its value may be lost. 47. The frequency and severity of accidents among pupils travelling by school bus has become a disturbing feature. Most of these accidents have occurred through a pupil alighting from the bus running heedlessly across the road and colliding with a passing vehicle. It has been urged as a remedial step that other motor traffic should be required to stop when a school bus is stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading pupils. Widely differing views have been expressed of the merits of this proposal, which, nevertheless, is still under consideration. It seems generally agreed that bus prefects should be appointed, that instruction in " bus drill" should be intensified, and that all school buses should be clearly identified as such by means of conspicuous notices both front and rear. 48. In order to help to impress the smaller children of the primary schools with the need for care in crossing the road, appropriate posters depicting animals were distributed to the schools and used as a basis of instruction by the teachers. 49. Several films suitable for traffic instructional purposes in schools have been obtained from Britain, Australia, and the United States of America and are in use by the instructors. Production of films by the New Zealand Government Film Studios showing our own roads and traffic situations is also in hand.
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