XN000022-1983-10-19 — Page 3

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1983

HE SAID, +WE HAVE SEEN OUR LARGEST RESERVOIR AT HIGH ISLAND FILL FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ITS CONSTRUCTION.+

MR TOMLINSON AND MR FONG LAI, CHAIRMAN OF THE NORTH LAMMA RURAL COMMITTEE, THEN JOINTLY TURNED THE VALVE, ALLOWING THE WATER TO FLOW INTO THE NEW SERVICE RESERVOIR.

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ROAD TOLL ON DOWNWARD TREND

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THE ROAD TOLL SEEMED AT LAST TO BE ON A REGULAR DOWNWARD TREND, WITH FATALITIES REDUCED BY 13.3 PER CENT AND SERIOUS INJURIES BY 7.4 PER CENT DURING THE 12 MONTHS ENDING IN JUNE THIS YEAR, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, MR ALAN SCOTT, SAID TODAY.

+BY MAINTAINING CONSTANT PRESSURE ON ROAD SAFETY, I HOPE THAT WE SHALL SEE A CONTINUING REDUCTION,+ HE SAID.

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE HONG KONG SCHOOL OF MOTORING, MR SCOTT SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED ITS RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPROVING THE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT, AND FOR SAFEGUARDING DRIVERS AND OTHER ROAD USERS.

ON THE GOVERNMENT'S ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY, HE SAID IT WAS MOST ENCOURAGING THE WEARING RATES OF FRONT SEAT BELTS HAD BEEN RECORDED AT 97 PER CENT AT URBAN MONITORING POINTS.

+RESPONSIBLE DRIVERS WHO FORM THE GREAT MAJORITY WILL IN DUE COURSE BENEFIT FROM THE DRIVING OFFENCE POINTS SYSTEM WHICH WILL ENCOURAGE HIGHER STANDARDS OF DRIVING, AND IF AND AS NECESSARY, REMOVE DANGEROUS DRIVERS FROM THE ROADS BY DISQUALIFICATION, HE ADDED.

MR SCOTT SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS ALSO VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED FOR LEARNER DRIVERS TO MASTER THE NEW ROAD TRAFFIC LEGISLATION AND, IN PARTICULAR, THE NEW TRAFFIC SIGNS WITH METRIC MEASURES.

IT HAD PREPARED A ROAD USERS' CODE TO IMPROVE ON AND REPLACE THE HIGHWAY CODE, AND THIS WOULD BE AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW LEGISLATION IN AUGUST 1984.

MR SCOTT NOTED THAT THE SCHOOL OF MOTORING WAS ACTUALLY OPENED TO STUDENTS SOME WHILE AGO, AND THE SPEED WITH WHICH THIS WAS ACHIEVED - 18 MONTHS WAS A TRIBUTE TO THE VITALITY OF HONG KONG'S PRIVATE ENTREPRENEURS AND TO CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THEM AND THE GOVERNMENT.

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+ON THE GOVERNMENT'S SIDE, THIS SITE WAS MADE AVAILABLE FOR A REASONABLE PERIOD AND A SENSIBLE PREMIUM AND THE STUDENT NUMBERS JUSTIFY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT ASSIGNING UP TO SIX EXAMINERS TO THE SCHOOL FOR TESTING DRIVERS ON THE WRITTEN AND MANOEUVRING PARTS OF THE DRIVING TEST, HE SAID.

+ABOUT 1 000 LEARNERS WILL USE THE SCHOOL EACH DAY, AND THE REDUCTION IN CONGESTION WILL BE NOTICEABLE IN CERTAIN AREAS. OFF-STREET TRAINING WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO SAFETY BECAUSE THE INEVITABLE MISTAKES WE ALL MAKE WHEN STARTING TO LEARN TO DRIVE CAN BE MADE IN THE SCHOOL COMPOUND, WITHOUT ENDANGERING ROAD USERS, HE POINTED OUT.

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