6 DECEMBER 1935, Page 36

Motoring Traffic-Consciousness Tim Minister of Transport's broadcast of last week,

in -which he deplored the continued high accident-rate but gave it as his responsible opinion that the public has now grown traffic-conscious, was preceded by stories in the dailies that the Ministry had, in effect, given up all hope of ever being able to improve the situation by artificial Means. !Whether this Was an example of unintelligent anticipa- tion, or whether Mr. !llore-Belisha's broadcast was intended to correct the- impressions of a possibly carelesS statement on the part of either interviewer or inter.! viewee, we were not told, but there does not seem to be much comfort to be extracted from the substance, of his declaration. He pointed out that while one person had died and .20 had been injured in -every hotir on the road during the preceding fortnight, and the total of the injured, 4,208, was 821 more than last year, there was none the less a reduction in the grand total for the first nine months of the year of 11,580- the first' since the motor-ear had come into general use.

From this he argued that the precautions and propa- ganda which had hitherto proved poWerlesS had now begun make an inipression. " With a, full sense of responsibility I say that the public as a' whole has grown traffic-conscious and is. giving the most sympathetic understanding to the sole motive of the measures pro-: !pounded by the Goverrinientl—the sole motive being to save your life."

One must regretfully conclude that Mr. Hore-Belisha is either over-optimistic, or that lie has special.,know- iedge of the situation not available to the rest of us. It may be that the reduction in accidents during the first three quarters of the year can be ascribed to the new measures, the .80-mile limit in particular. In fact, though there can never be any way of proving it, I daresay the limit- exercised a restraining influence on some of the worst drivers, particularly as the stories grew of the gong-beaters disguised as butcher-boys, and dressmakers. Until the summer holidays crowded the roads with: Cars it is quite probable that the general average of ,speed was slightly reduced in built-up areas, and it is possible that there were fewer accidents in consequence. But it is difficult to believe that the Minister really thinks the limit is as effective now as it was six months ago. As a matter of fact, it is widely disregarded, and my own experience in most congested parts of the country is that very few drivers of any sort of motor vehicle slow down for the limit except where the presence of uniformed policemen makes it obviously rash not to do so.

It is a thousand pities. Had the public gone on as it began, doing its best, to give the scheme a fair trial, five might have had some data on which to work. They could not have been very definite, owing to the increased number of cars on !the roads. in the summer and the steady increase of new drivers throughout the year, but they -might have helped. Now we can know practically nothing of the results of the limit. It is seldom kept to„ and it is impossible to say of any given accident whether it might have been avoided, had the speed of the car or cars involved been less, except in outrageous cases of hogging. I do not think many people expected the actual speed-reduction to have much effect, but most of us hoped that the habit of automatically slowing down on approaching difficult. sections , would lead to greater care in driving.

Herein is no proof of the general public being more traffic-conscious. The limit was an attempt to get the results of caution, on the assumption that people 'drive More carefully or more safely at slow than at high, speeds. It has failed, and we are left to the conclusion either that the driving public realises no more than before the risks of the road, or that they consider the limit too low. My own impression is that they have learnt nothing of what it was hoped to teach them, and that in so far as the limit is concerned they are no more traffic-conscious than they were last year. The same sort of risks are taken, in the some conditions as before the limit was imposed. It is true that harm was clone at the beginning by setting up the limit in places where there was no need for it, and there is a good deaf of truth in the argument: that all limits are a. mistake, because they encourage faster and more dangerous driving between them ; but those things do not alter the fact that the '30-mile limit is scarcely more observed than was its futile predecessor.

It is really impossible to come to any useful conclusion on the cause of accidents and the effectiveness of the official safeguards without regular and detailed analyses of the 'accidents themselves. Presumably, the largest number of traffic accidents of all sorts happen in London. Taking London, then, as fairly representative of the general conditions in crowded: areas, there is not ninth ground for assuming that the public, are more traffic- conscious than they were—that is, that they' are less careless. The Belisha crossings arc, for the most part, Tess observed than the limit. A few, a very feW, pedestrians regularly use them in ! preference to choosing their own place to cross a traffic stream (an ineradicable trait of the Englishman), very few indeed use them as they were intended to be used; as they are used in Paris and other Continental cities. When we see a pedestrian step boldly across a busy street, holding up 'buses and vans and taxis, we remember it. We admire him and wish we'had his courage, or effrontery, whichever you think it may be. And a minute later we dart across the street where there is no walkers' way, giving rise to half a dozen potential accidents, and we do it unconsciously. We are incor- rigible and, I am sure; unteachable.

I do not think this ridiculous state of affairs is originally the fault of the wheeled traffic. At the beginning it showed itself willing to fall into line and wait for the pedestrian at the crossings. It is the pedestrian who has ruined the scheme. Either because he lacks the nerve, or because he refuses to -cross the street except where he 'N‘ValltS, to, or because he .simply doesn't think about lit, he ,has gone back to the :old. way of crossing when and where he can,' or waiting. That is not traffic-consciousness, and frankly I do not. see !how Mr. Hore-Belisha can expect any when even the new and very convenient subways are neg- lected, when people prefer to wait on free traffic or upon the traffic lights 'rather-than cross in safety, speed, and comfort underground.

None of this is the fault of the Ministry, nor is it certain that any further measures compatible with the free flow of traffic- will mend matters. The Ministry's aim is to save life, but is too often the life of the man who refuses to be saved. It is a relief to read those figures that show a re- ductionin the aceident-rate, but it is hard to believe they are the work of the public themselves.

JOHN PRIOLEAU.

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