2,000 private cars operate illegally day and night providing supple- mentary transport services. Action is maintained against these vehicles but little ground can be gained by enforcement alone, the only real answer to the problem being related to the principle of supply and demand.
206. Recent legislation has made provision for the hire of various new classes of vehicles which should go a long way to combat the use of illegal private cars for hire; the public car which is basically a minibus and the hire car which is in effect a private car that may be hired together with a chauffeur or may be driven by the hirer. In addition there is the dual purpose hire car/goods vehicle which is subject to special structural requirements and may be used in either or both capacities, i.e., may carry passengers not in excess of the seating capacity and/or goods within the laden weight of the vehicle. These vehicles should be licensed by the end of 1960 and a definite improvement is anticipated.
ROAD SAFETY MEASURES
207. A scheme was introduced to teach school children the basic rules of road safety. A liaison officer nominated by the Education Department co-operated with traffic police officers to organize a pro- gramme which included an inter school quiz competition which was broadcast, a poster competition, film shows and the distribution of over 187,000 painting books, novelty booklets and several types of informa- tive leaflets.
208. The annual Traffic Exhibition once again proved to be very popular, especially with children for whose particular benefit a large number of the exhibits had been prepared. Shortly after the exhibition a vehicle attractively decorated with road safety pictures and fitted with a public address system which operated from a tape recorder, toured the outlying villages and resettlement areas giving advice to all road users within hearing.
PART VI
OTHER SPECIALIZED BRANCHES
EMERGENCY UNITS
209. Each District Headquarters has an immediately available reserve of manpower in the form of an Emergency Unit. In addition to providing crews for radio patrol cars, these units reinforce Divisions as
42