SAFETY FIRST TOPICS.
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THE twenty-fifth meeting, of the London " Safety First" Council was recently held at. the Guildhall, London, when several matters of interest came under discussion_
"Upon the recommendation of the Drivers' Educational Committee, it. was decided to draw the attention of the Ministry of Transport to the necessity for protecting pedestrianand vehicular traffic from the operation of,. towed vehicles. The suggestion was made that a mechanically propelled vehicle drawing a trailer ahould bear some distinguishing mark which would enable the driver of another vehicle pulling out from the near side, or coming out from a side street, to notice such distinguishing mark and thusprevent a collision. Observations from police and licensing authorities, received in respect of a suggestion made by the Bristol Rotary Club that it should be a condition of the issue of licences that public service vehicles should undergo a periodical examinetion .of brakes and the like, revealed the fact that, although there was a certain amount of diversity of opinion on the subject, there is a need for a standard condition with regard to the licensing, supervision, and inspection of all passenger-carrying vehicles. Consideration was given to suggestions to prevent accidents arising from the carelessness of drivers when emerging from side roads and from drivers pulling up without fair warning; also to a suggestion for the extension of the practice of white-washing the rims of mechanically propelled vehicles, as at present carried out by a number of taxicab owners.
Reference was made in the report of the Street " Safety " Committee to the relation between street accidents and efficient street lighting. In the United States, it was reported, some useful
data had been collected dealing with the street accidents in 32 ci,tics, with it, total population of over seven million. The total number of accidents was 31,475, of which 9,534—or about 30 per cent.—occurred during hours of darkness. By an ingenious method of analysis, it was deduced that 1,678—or 17.6 per cent.—of all accidents that occurred at night might be attributed to inadequate lighting. The opinion was expressed that the collection of similar data relating to cities in Great Britain would be most profitable. " It was reported that the proposal to inaugurate a National " Safety First " Association had been favourably received by existing " Safety First " organizations and by various other provincial authorities, and that, at a conference of delegates from London and the provinces, a committee had been appointed to frame the objects and constitution of such a body.