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THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1983
TAXIS WERE INVOLVED IN 15.7 PER CENT OF ALL ACCIDENTS AS COMPARED WITH 14.3 PER CENT IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1982. FATAL ACCIDENTS INNVOLVEMEENT DECCREEASSED FROM 11 TO 10, AND SERIOB INJURY ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENT FROM 373 TO 272. SLIGHT INJURY INVOLVEMENT ROSE FROM 610 TO 680. DURING THE SAME PERIOD, TAXI REGISTRATION INCREASED BY 1 497 VEHICLES OR 12.5 PER CENT,
MOTOR CYCLES WERE INVOLVED IN 11.3 PER CENT OF ALL INJURY ACCIDENTS AS COMPARED WITH 12.2 PER CENT IN THE SAME QUARTER LAST YEAR. FATAL INVOLVEMENT DECREASED FROM 20 TO 15, SERIOUS INVOLVEMENT FROM 371 TO 237 AND SLIGHT INVOLVEMENT FROM 455 TO 446.
THE NUMBER OF FATAL AND INJURY ACCIDENTS INVOLVING FRANCHISED PUBLIC BUSES INCREASED FROM 436 TO 470 WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SAME QUARTER OF 1982,
REFERRING TO PERSONS INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS MR MCCOS H SAID PEDESTRIANS CONTINUED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF CASUALTIES - 2019 OUT OF A TOTAL CASUALTY LIST OF 5 828 OR 34.6 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL. THEY ALSO ACCOUNTED FOR THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF FATALITIES 54 OUT OF A TOTAL OF 85.
HOWEVER, WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1982 PEDESTRIAN CASUALTIES HAVE DECREASED FROM 2 270 TO 2 019, WHILE PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES HAVE DECREASED FROM 78 TO 54.
THERE HAS BEEN A SLIGHT DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MOTOR CYCLISTS KILLED OR INJURED THIS QUARTER COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1982, WITH CASUALTIES DROPPING FROM 629 TO 543 AND FATAL- ITIES FROM EIGHT TO SEVEN. THE NUMBER OF CYCLISTS KILLED OR INJURED HAS ALSO DROPPED FROM 216 TO 185.
THE NUMBER OF DRIVER AND PASSENGER CASUALTIES HAVE DECREASED SLIGHTLY, 1 264 AND 1 817 AS OPPOSED TO 1 308 AND 1 933 IN THE SAME QUARTER OF 1982.
TEN DRIVERS AND 12 PASSENGERS WERE KILLED COMPARED WITH 12
AND NINE IN THE SAME QUARTER LAST YEAR.
ADVOCATING THE USE OF SEAT BELTS, MR MCCOSH NOTED THAT NINE DRIVERS AND FOUR FRONT SEAT PASSENGERS IN PRIVATE CARS DIED DURING THE QUARTER, NONE OF THEM WERE WEARING SEAT BELTS.
I WONDER HOW MANY OF THEM WOULD STILL BE ALIVE HAD THEY
BEEN WEARING BELTS ?''
ANOTHER 952 FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS SUSTAINED HEAD INJURIES. AGAIN HOW MANY OF THESE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN INJURED OR SUSTAINED LESSER INJURY HAD THEY WORN SEAT BELTS, HE QUESTIONED.
HE ALSO APPEALED TO PARENTS TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THEIR CHILDREN.
''MY ADVICE TO ALL PARENTS WOULD BE TO MAKE THEIR CHILDREN SIT IN THE REAR SEAT AND EVEN THEN, ALTHOUGH THE LAW DOES NOT AS YET REQUIRE IT, HAVE THEM PROPERLY RESTRAINED,'' MR MCCOSH SSALID.
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