WHY BLAME THE
MOTORIST.
All Road Users Must Observe the Rules.
By Sir Malcolm Campbell
A Libel on the Motur-car Driver
I have followed closely the dis- cussions during "Safety Firat" Now let us look for a moment at week about the rapidly Increasing the ease made out by the critica sum of road accidents, and I have of the motorist. It is alleged that beon Interested in the comments motorists in the mass do not care which have followed the debates. very much whether they become I have been able to discern very involved in accidents or not. The little that is likely to be of use ear-owner is now compelled by emerge from all the talk.
Inw to insure against third-party or maims The general conclusion, by im-risks, and if he kills plication at least, would seem to be somebody; so long as he is not that thero in only one sinner on the found guilty of criminal negli- At his igence his insurance company will highway-the motorist.
pay, and that is the end of mater so far as he is concerned.
door is laid all the blame and upon his head is to be visited all the punishment for the sins and lap- ses of every class of road user.
On every hand there have been demands for a further stiffening
the
This is a libel on n class of rond- user who s neither more nor lesa humane thau any other. I cannot the idea that the subscribe to of the aiready heavy penalties on moment, the ordinary, normal per- the reckless and the careless son, man or woman, becomes pas- driver. That is all very well sosed of a motor-ear he or she of Car As it goes, but I cannot see necessity changes in every charac
a beast of that it brings is any nearer to a eristin and hecontes real solution of the problem which prey.
The Story as Told by han to be solved general safety on
Coroners Verdicts the highway.
The Problem Must Be Treated As a Whole
If
were to fakr
motorist
Every faint accident in which a motor vehicle in concerned in the Jaubject of a coroner's inquest, and seriously we find Bhat in the vast majority most of the statements I have rend of cases the verdict returned is and heard, one wonhl soon become one of accidental death and that
driver is the
is exonerated from convinced that the
average coroner's nothing but a licensed slaughter. blame. The
is not usually composed er, Little has emerged to show Jury that there is any other offender on wholly of motorists, and does not the roads, although it would seem begin its investigation holding any Indeed, in to have been rather grudgingly brief for the motorist. conceded that the pedestrian, for there should be any bias, it is like- instaner, does not always show ly to be the other way. Yet in by that care which is necessary to far the greater number of fatal ac
there is shewn to have the preservation of his own lifevidents and timb. I read also that the ben grave contributory careless cyclist might sometimes show aess on the part of the victim. little more regard for his €13821
I do want to make it clear that
skin and for the rights and safety am not arguing the case for the of others, but his offences wild motorist, although I am compelled appear to be as nothing when to use weighed against the sins of the bear motorist.
would
arguments which that interpretation. 1 Hrying to discover some practical constructive conclusions We shall not arrive at a sol- and
greater lion of our problem until we re-which will assist us to cognise that it is one problem, and safety.
that it cannot be compartmented
You cannot make people sober by
or treated as one affecting a sing-Act of Parliament. All you can
le class of road user.
It is useless to lay all the blame an the motorist. Equally futile is it to argue that all the danger comes as a result of carelessness of pedestrians, or that the cyclist is the person who, in the interest of the public safety, should be rul exff the highway. It has to be acknowledged that there are fault everywhere before we can flad a method of eliminating them.
da is to make insobriety unpapu- ar by public disapproval and by the legal punishment of flagrant offence. It is equally true that you cannot legislate the constitu tionally enveless into carefulness- even though, the extreme penalty of earelasness on the highway
any be sudden death.
The careless motorist will never the entirely eliminated, however The penaltios, because his careless- ness does not arise from contemt for the law. Nor will it ever be possible to eliminate the careless walker.
Fewer Accidents- But Only for a Little Time Now let us look-at a few facts. During the first three months after if I thought that more severe re- the Road Traile Act became law, frictions upon the motorist would assist, I should certainly not op the numbers of street fell substantally. This Act abol- pose them, but I frankly cannot see fehed the 20-miles-an-hour speed how they would help.
accidents
Sup-
чту
To take a case in point. limit, in so far as private passen posing Lord Buckmaster's Bill be
During ger ears are concerned,
came law and that if I were the corresponding quarter of the i
person present year the number of acci, unfortunate es to kill a dents has again increased and is who stepped without looking into the road under the wheels of my now higher than ever.
ear i were held prima facie guilty There must be a reason for this, of manslaughter. Whatever happen- apart from the relatively unimed to me ultimately, the other per- portant fact that there are slight son would still be dead, and it is ly more motor vehicles using the surely the prevention of that per- My own opinion of the son's death rather than my possible root cause of the difference in ac-punishment afterwards that cident figures covering these two | want to get at. The fact has to bo periods is this: When the Roadraced that the mutorist is the only Traffic Act came into foren and the class of road-user who is in fact speed limit was abolished, there subject to restrictive laws. It is ensued a falling off in the number ascles to carry those laws of accidents due to two separate farther if "safety first" is indeed but closely related factors.
the object, and not the vindictive punishment of an offender afler the event.
ronds,
More Care When the Speed Limit Went
users, Fond
We
ATM
fair.
I am not quarrelling with the The speed limit, which nobody laws as they stand. Indeed, I will regarded seriously, disappeared, are willingly that they are both and the motorist felt that he had
nero-rary and reasonably been put upon his honour to "What I do object to very stron ly ercise care under the new condi- is the poweral assumption. that tions for which he had agitated for every offence committed on. Che years. Other
and road is done by the motorist.
Rules Have Not Rept up with the Times Ultimately, no doubt, most of and no doubt exercised more than the trouble can be traced to the their usual care, with the reator-vehicle, not because of the driver, but because of the mechani- that accidents became fewer.
particularly the pedestrian, believ
ed that the average speeds ut which cars were driven would go up materially, even dangerously,
As we know, speeds of motorral progress of which he is part. All the conditions have changed vehicles actually did not increase, during the past few years except for the sufficient reason that the the methods of regulation. old speed limit had been virtually Twenty years ago the
roads
it dead letter for years before it were carrying only a little of the was officially killed. When this present traffic, yet to-day the old
realised, everybody, pedes-methods of regulation persist.
was
LONDON
LAND'S END TRIAL-
Of 242 cars started-68 secured premier awards, or 28%
OF 5 FORDS ENTERED-4 SECURED
PREMIER AWARDS OF 80%--
THE OTHER FORD SECURED A SECOND PRIZE.
No other make of car entering more than one contestant made such a
line record as
FORD!
(Data taken from Page 460, "The Motor" London, April 12, 1932)
FORD
QUALITY RELIABILITY
STAMINA
ECONOMY
Authorized Dealers:
WALLACE HARPER & CO., LTD.
745, Nathan Road, Mongkok
Kowloon, Hongkong.
8771
will win for you too in Hongkong
and,
Want
when
you
new Car,
give you a n exceptionally high trade-in valuo--
1 10. Fung Ning Maloo
Canton.
Authorized Service Dealers:
FORD SUPER-SERVICE STATION,
Hennessy Road, Wanchai.
FORD MOTOR COMPANY, EXPORTS, INC.
trian and all the rest, went back to We still concede the pedestrianto change the whole road traffle as-
the roads.
whole, working to a common end of pect. Instead of being a concreto safety, the road-using interests are house divided, every interest working against the other.
n
MUST WE COMMIT HARI-KARI
ON THE HIGHWAY?
(Continued from Page 2.)
the old carolosa manner of using am sorry to appear briefed auainst him; I am not, really-tko It will be observed that I in- first right to the use of the rouri, clude every class of road-user in We allow him to wonder how and this charge of a reveraton to care-where he Hats, regardless of all Повелета. I am not concerned to other traffic, and nothing ha dnes Why can we not have a League know that the problem is almost arque the case of the motorist in an offence against the law, Yot of Road Users, with a standing insoluble, and that only the most against the pedestrian or the re- "walking to the common danger" committee inquiring into all quen- | drastic action and the boldest verso, because I appreciate that of all rond offences the most tions of safety and the general policy would even attempt to deal there are careless and recklessenoral. Surely, if only in his own law of the highway 7 Such awith it. motorists-I ace them every day-interests, the vedeate su must be lengue, with a strong enough com- A few things, of course, may be just
as there are reckless foot-compelled to observe the same con-mittee, could accomplish much in done, and perhaps this talk of passengers, careless horse-drivers, ons of behaviour as are demanded the way of agreed recommenda- "national awakening" may help carolena cyclists, and oven care-from every other claus of road tions for new highways legislation | their doing. lear Dushera of handcarts.
-legislation which would not be
Things We May Do A Learue of all Sorts of
haracteristically repressive, but We may, for instance, compel Ronil Usera
directed towards that common all pedestrians to cross the great safety which everyone desires to high-ronds only at stated places ce. We shall never reduce the and under the superintendence of toll of the roads by mutual recrim the police. They do this in Paris, where their deaths are fewer. We
If I am right in my contention, we have already arrived at some- thing: that it is more general care that in neoded, not merely general care on the part of one rond-using class.
'tser.
The erent trouble aftending the event altuation is. I think the antagonism which has been fastored since the motor-ear came *ination.
1
SHANGHAI
common
Possibly few greater perils then those of the high-road to-day have ever menaced a hation; but wo ́are still without a remedy.
The ap peal to men of good will is rapidly becoming a failure, and the wis dom of wise men ignored
So we are led to ask ("-there-cat
may also forbid driver's to shoot at ty. For this we were loudly abus high speeds from main ronds into ed by those who believed that the side streets a common and most laggard was the peril and the deadly form of attack, much fa- speed merchant the saviour of his youred by youthful conductors of country. Facts, unhappily, appear covered vans. We may actually now to be justifying us. summon men for driving at high The abuse of reasonable privi speeds in crowded thou fares, lege is becoming more fine them for cutting-in.", and every day. There are even those not really be a council of thot mend them to prison for over- who say that the death roll is In who have no interests to defend taking on corners or when humo, come measure the first fruit of but the interest of the public; back bridges. We may do this, but this concession and that, as the men of long experience, of modern I doubt if wo over shall. The months pass, we shall see the evils tion, and of knowledge. Those ristraten have worm hearts and of a policy formerly so much ap-would consider the problem as 21 they drive themselves. What plauded.
whole, discarding the shibboletta: business of theirs is this annalle |
Too Many Fools
allke of the over bold and of the ine problem of our modern traffi·7 Be this as it may, it la very ob- panic-stricken and seeking only to. When the Transnost i was he vious that rashness upon the high discover a remedy, if remedy there fore the House of Commons, a way le too often taking the place be. few of us dared to exaraan
e of reason, and that chaos in there opinion that the abolition of the gull. We
cannot loolalato for speed limit ncert not necessarily foola, and too many of them are at introduce the golden age of safe the wheels of cars.
+
Can this killing be stopped, or it Inevitable?
The public has a right toʻần swon to this grara.question.