Road Deaths Can Be Checked
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0PENING the National Safety Conference at Central Hall, Westminster, on Tuesday, the Minister of Transport, Mr. Harold Watkinson, said that he was sure that a method of reversing the , trend towards increasing road deaths had been found. This was shown in the results of the "Mind that Child" campaign, when the total number of children killed during the period of the campaign was 21+ per cent less than in the same period for the previous year.
The Minister mentioned that new roads in his road programme were most carefully considered from the safety aspect The delegates were welcomed with a stimulating address by the Mayor of the City of Westminster, Cllr. Sir Charles Norton.
Sir Howard Roberts, president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, reported that there were ominous signs that at the end of 1957 the total road casualties would be the worst yet. He estimated they would exceed 270,000 unless the problem was dealt with as one of the greatest urgency.
However, the road-safety movement had definitely kept road deaths down and the greatest progress had been in reducing deaths among children. More could be done by those local authorities who had not yet set up road safety committees.
The director of the Danish Road Safety Council, Mr. Ulrik. Duurloo, concluded the business of the Congress for the first day by delivering a paper on road safety in Denmark, with reference to .special campaigns.
One campaign which made a tremendous impact on the public—and on the model used—emphasized the speed problern. A Buick car was dropped from a height of 70 ft. on to a reinforced cement block to show what driving into a brick wall at 50 miles per hour meant.
Mr. Duurloo mentioned that the Danish Road Safety Council received a subsidy of £17,500 from the State, derived with a population of only 4m. Mr. Duurloo then finished by asking whether the Society could not persuade British vehicle manufacturers to fit safely belts as standard equipment in order to save many lives.