Sik,—All discussions on the traffic problem in this country appear
to centre on two
aspects only, the drivers and the roads. The third, the vehicles, except when comment is made on their ever-increasing numbers, or when comparison is made of the manner in which different classes are driven, rarely receives any attention. Surely this aspect oc the problem should be the easiest of all to control. The speed of heavy vehicles such as motor coaches and transport lorries could be controlled by having their engine speed governed, the maximum possible being, say, thirty m.p.h. Any interference with the governing mechanism would be an indictable offence, with disqualillzation of the vehicle as well as the driver for a minimum period as the penalty.
Further, all classes of vehicles, public, com- mercial and private, should be made to con- form to certain standards of. mechanical, braking and lighting efficiency before a Road Traffic licence is issued. This would imply at least one annual overhaul, and the actual test would not be a lengthy one if it were realised that only a completely efficient vehicle would receive the necessary certifi- cate of roadworthiness. These standards should be stringent and any breach of them, in the event of an accident, should automatic-
ally render the driver and/or owner liable to prosecution.
It is surely not too much to ask of road- users that their vehicles should be in first- class order before they are driven on the roads. In no other form of transport (now that the horse-and-buggy days are over) is there such disregard for the fundamental matter of the efficiency of the vehicle, be it railway train, aeroplane or steamship.
In these affairs, which are matters of life and death to many, every aspect should receive attention, and this particular one would appear to be both urgent and practic- able.
I speak, incidentally, as a driver who has driven some twenty thousand miles or more annually for the past seven years, and I have no interest whatsoever in any car-manufac- turing or repairing firm 1—Yours faithfully,
IAN MACKENZIE
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