SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1988
ROAD USERS URGED TO BE MORE CONSCIOUS OF ROAD SAFETY
THE MOST EFFECTIVE
IMPROVE THE BEHAVIOUR OF ROAD
WAY то REDUCE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IS TO USERS AND то PROVIDE THEM WITH A CORRECT ATTITUDE TOWARDS ROAD SAFETY, THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR JAMES SO, SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE MONG KOK DISTRICT ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN, MR SO POINTED OUT THAT MOST ACCIDENTS WERE CAUSED BY CARELESS BEHAVIOUR OR LACK OF ROAD SAFETY CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE PART OF PEDESTRIANS AND DRIVERS.
"PROVISION OF CROSSING FACILITIES OR OTHER MEASURES IS ONLY A SUPPLEMENTARY MEANS AND WILL NOT TACKLE THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. HENCE ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGNS ARE ORGANISED TO CONVEY THE ROAD SAFETY MESSAGES AND INSTALL A ROAD SAFETY CONSCIOUSNESS AMONG THE COMMUNITY," HE SAID.
MR SO CALLED ON ROAD USERS TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THEIR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THEIR CHILDREN ON THE ROAD ALL THE TIMES.
HE ALSO URGED ROAD USERS TO TAKE NOTE OF THE ADVICE GIVEN IN THE ROAD USERS' CODE. WHICH CONTAIN VALUABLE INFORMATION ON ROAD SAFETY.
MR SO NOTED THAT THE DOWNWARD TREND IN THE NUMBER OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ACHIEVED SINCE 1982 HAD BEEN REVERSED LAST YEAR.
IN 1987, 280 PEOPLE WERE KILLED, 5,232 AND 16,042 RESPECTIVELY WERE SERIOUSLY AND SLIGHTLY INJURED IN A TOTAL OF 16,034 ACCIDENTS.
"THERE IS NO SIGN OF THIS RISING TREND ABATING. THIS IS WORRYING AND THE GOVERNMENT IS DETERMINED TO DO EVERYTHING IT CAN то KEEP TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS DOWN, SAID MR SO.
·
WHILST PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS FOR HONG KONG AS A WHOLE HAD BEEN DECREASING, MONG KOK HAD SEEN A SLIGHT RISE, MR SO SAID.
THERE WERE 528 PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS IN MONG KOK IN 1987 WHICH
CENT OF ACCOUNTED FOR 56 PER
ALL ACCIENTS THAT OCCURRED IN THE DISTRICT, AS COMPARED TO A TERRITORY-WIDE PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT RATE 39 PER CENT.
MR SO SAID THAT MEASURES HAD BEEN TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT IMPROVE THE SITUATION.
OF
TO
"ACCIDENT SITES IN THE DISTRICT WHERE A HIGH NUMBER OF PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS OCCUR EACH YEAR HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND REMEDIAL MEASURES SUCH AS PROVIDING APPROPRIATE CROSSING FACILITIES FOR PEDESTRIANS HAVE BEEN APPLIED AT THESE SITES," MR SO SAID.
12