Death.on the Road, . The Safety First Association has published
the results of an investigation covering 3,029 road acci- dents, which resulted in the death of 3,129 persons, in the last six months of 1932.- Those whO believe that a large number of motor-cyclists are peculiarly reckless users of the road may think their views confirmed by the fact that. one quarter of all the fatalities were among this O class. On the other hand, harsh critics of women drivers are confronted with the remarkable fact that they con- stituted only 4.65 per cent. of the drivers whose errors of judgement were deemed the chief contributory causes of accidents. Btit far the most important point that emergeS .is that the motorists suffered least and the pedestrians-most. Only one in ten of the victims was in a car (as opposed to walking or Cycling); half of the whole number were on foot ; and of this half actually 80 per cent. were under 10 years of age or over 50. This Means that at least one quarter of all the deaths in road accidents are 'among elderly people or young children. It would not be, much satisfaction to anyone to prove that theSe victims; in the Words of the Police classification, were " not looking carefully " or " hesitating or faltering,"- or " playing in the roadway." - It is the duty of a motorist to be aware of the possibility of meeting a child Or an old person not skilled in avoiding danger.
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