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Safety Congress

22nd October 1948
Page 52
Page 55
Page 52, 22nd October 1948 — Safety Congress
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Praises Bus Drivers New Road Safety Committee Set Up as Permanent Body of Ministry of Transport. Neglect of Highway Code Responsible for 97 per cent. of Accidents AT the opening of the National Safety Congress of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, in Westminster, last week, the Minister of Transport, Mr. Alfred Barnes, said that he had set up a new road safety committee as a permanent feature of his department. He had asked it to examine a number of difficult problems. The 1943 Committee on Road Safety had recommended setting up a new system for the collection and mechanical analysis of statistics on road accidents causing death or injury. This new system would be started on January 1, next.

Although the committee recommended that vehicle testing stations should be set up, he said that only after considerable preliminary investigation would he be in a better position to decide whether this was practicable and worth while.

Since the end of the war, the Minister said, there had been a, steady downward trend in road deaths. The 1947 figure was the lowest since 1935. The figures for accidents to children, however, were bad; the country could not afford this, as its children were its best capital investment.

Most Accidents Avoidable

The first paper reviewed at the Congress was that entitled "Breaches of the Highway Code in Relation to Road Fatalities," by Lt.-Col. J. A. A. Pickard, A.M.Inst.T., director-general of the Society. The outstanding observation in this paper was that 97 per cent. of 2,000 fatalities in 1,954 accidents which took place between November, 194'1, and April, 1948, might have been prevented if all parties had properly observed the Highway Code. The most deadly day during that period was Christmas Eve, when 46 persons were fatally injured Drivers of public service vehicles appeared least prone to commit breaches of the code, he said. Next came goods-vehicle drivers, whilst drivers of Service vehicles appeared most frequently to commit breaches. He mentioned the danger to small children arising when goods-vehicle drivers were restarting after having stopped in the poorer classes of residen• tial areas. He had been impressed by the number of such accidents in the case of milk trolleys.

Drivers should be cautioned, he said, about the dangers of slippery roads, whilst the passing of stationary vehicles at bus stopping places required extra A4 caution, Official investigation should be undertaken into the possibility of fitting side guards to goods vehicles.

Lt.-Col. Pickard's paper mentioned the fact that tables had been drawn up by the Society, indicating the extent to which road users involved as "other parties" apparently committed breaches of the Highway Code, From these, tramcar drivers showed the best record, with trolleybus drivers next, whilst motorbus drivers came third. Drivers of goods vehicles followed, but they were involved in a high proportion of fatalities to young children, although in most such cases they had little chance of avoiding casualty.

Among speakers who followed Lt.-Col. Pickard was Mr. Foley, secretary of the Pedestrians' Association, who condemned the proposal that the speed limit for .heavy goods vehicles should be increased to 30 m.p.h.

Sir Archibald Hordern. chief constable of Lancashire, said that intensive prosecution among any one class of road user did not materially reduce the toll of the road. Over 90 per cent, of offences were due to human error, or failure to observe the Highway Code. Special motor patrols, he contended, were well worth their cost.

Value of Training

In the course of discussion, one speaker said that public service vehicle drivers were not less prone to offences, but showed such a good record because they were subject to examination and training. He thought sliding doors should be employed to prevent passengers alighting while buses were in motion. Another speaker suggested that bumpers Would be of uniform height, and that specially shaped ones should be fitted to buses.

A member of Sheffield Corporation said that public service vehicle, police and fire-service drivers were the best in the country. They had strict tests and they were mechanically proficient.

A London Transport inspector from Hammersmith said: "If a driver is at fault, I give him a piece of my mind. The things lackin$ to-day are caution

ing and supervision." Could not hauliers employ inspectors, he asked.

Col. Pickard replied that buses were much' more localized and that supervision was not so easy with other types. This stressed the value of mobile police.

Major Bale, treasurer of the Junior Car Club, applauded a suggestion by the chief constable of Lancashire that road users should be all one family. The impression that any one class was being attacked should be avoided. Road improvement was a vital factor in safety and he had been sorry to hear the Minister of Transport say that the economic position precluded the spending of money, labour and material on the scale that would be required. He felt that many atTidents occurred because road users had problems on their minds, but they should forget these until they arrived at home or the office.

Monthly Meetings of Drivers

A woman member of Todmorden Council recommended wider adoption of a scheme under which there was a meeting of transport drivers once a month at the Town Hall. Representatives from municipal transport and other organizations attended, and the result was most effective.

Another speaker said that caution should at all times be exercised on wet roads, because it was seldom possible to recognise a slippery part of the road.

• At Thursday's session, a paper was presented by Mr. Robert Bruce, B.Sc..

M.I.Mech.E., master of works and city engineer, Glasgow. To road transport operators, an outstanding feature of this paper was a section describing a combined shelter and queue barrier. This. has been designed in accordance with official views that provision should be made for the orderly queueing of passengers, for adequate weather protection, and for the avoidance of undue obstruction of the pavement.

Common disadvantages of many conventional types were first summarized by Mr. Bruce and he proceeded to describe an effective and inexpensive type which would be free from these faults. There was, he said, a demand for a pattern which would (1) be so designed that when not occupied, pedestrians could walk easily through it; (2) facilitate the selection of the appropriate stop and provide separate lanes for particular route numbers; and (3) be attractive in appearance, afford maximum weather protection. and be illuminated, to form an element of the street-lighting system.

He said existing lighting standards and tramway standards were capable of supporting with ease a fair-sized canopy as a side-bracketed structure. Shelters could thus be provided in many cases without additional vertical standards or other obstructions of the footway. Stiffened sheet-metal walls, aDout 3 ft. high, could be put on each side of the supporting standard over the length of the shelter; the space between the top of this and the outside edge of the canopy, immediately above, could be filled with a transparent material such as Perspex.

The inside of the canopy could be serrated across its width with tubular lighting at the summit of each serration. Sloping faces of the serrations could carry advertising matter and so make the shelter revenue-earning. At the " entry " side of the canopy, vehicle route-numbers could be indicated immediately above lanes suitably marked on the footpath.

The whole structure could be such as to improve amenity and add brightness to the street, whilst the amount of light emitted would cause the stop to be conspicuous at night. A prototype was being constructed and should be ready soon, Mr. Bruce added.


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