Danger on the Roads
The increase of accidents already recorded with the return of peace traffic to the roads is a warning that the situation will become extremely serious when a larger number of cars become available. Among the factors at present adverse to safety. are the poor con- dition of the roads, the state of the old cars put again into service, and the handling of many vehicles by men who were employed to drive in the Services with little instruction and no tests. As Mr. Wilfred Andrews, chairman of the R.A.C., points out, it is not the private motorists who must bear all or most of the blame. (At present they are not out in force.) Of 534 fatalities in October, private motor-cars were involved only in to8. That the Ministry of War Transport is not unalive to the situation is shown by its decision to spend £250,000 on road safety propaganda. An improve- ment in road manners would save many lives.- But propaganda valuable as it may be, is not enough. The R.A.C. has issued a statement proposing a number of measures which might be taken to increase safety without vast expenditure of money and labour. All of these are worth considering ; but the fact must be faced that the roads will not be reasonably safe until the whole system is overhauled and structural improvements carried out.
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