1930-09-15 — Page 7

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. MOTORING SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1930.

EFFECTS OF NEW TRAFFIC LAW.

Too Many Trifling Offences: Light Penalties and Avoiding Police Courts.

POLICE ATTENTION GREATLY EXCESSIVE.

'

PUMP CHOOSES WISELY.

from, the same six tanks.

lice time in the year, or, in-other special attention at the present words, 8,300 polica were fully sc- time. At the Royal Commission en cupied for 24 hours on cases which Road Transport an official of the were very trivial in comparison Ministry of Transport. recently with other forms of crime preven- quoted figures from another source, tion and detection. The time which estimated that the cost of Serves Six Fuel Tanks. figures 1 give here are merely to police services in relation to rond Illustrate the point, for we know traffic was about £2,000,000 per

Leas populous kerbs and simpli! that each motor case occupies much annum. My analysis of motorfied filling stations are predicted in more than one hour of a police off. erimes" would go to show that a cial's time. But the point brought considerable proportion, of the po- England following the invention out shows that police attention to lice expense arose from excessive of a new type petrol pump. motorists has been carried to a de zeal in prosecuting for minor and This pump can be connected" tal gree which is manifestly excessive, technical matter. It is really ab six separate underground tanks, and which takes away the police surd that police should be expected each containing a different brand from more important work. to be experts In Brake testing As matters stand to-day the police are justified in their proce

There is a great outcry raised noise, measurement, and such like. of fuel, and will deliver any re motorist is the chief representa dure here. The motor vehicle is the from time to time about drunken Commonsense regulations and a quired fuel without mixing them. tive of the criminal classes," judged beat-lighted vehicle on the road. It motor drivers. The offence, if wider use of the cautioning system For large filling stations, two by the number of motoring offences is the only one which la adequately really proved. is very serious, and could save a lot of police time pumps can be arranged to deliver which are registered by the police. lighted fore and aft. The law has merits severe punishment. But the and public expense. But as the vast majority of the exempted pedal cycles from rear figures show that only a shade more Under the now Road Trafte Bill it has given other than one-half per offences are technical, and as they lights, and

cent. of all very many new offences have been are not heavily punished, usually illogical exemptions for horsed vehl- those over 20 per cent, were with created, most of them of a minor the motorist is not greatly perturcles. Yet we find the police pre-drawn or discharged. The vast or technical nature. The general was unreasonably obstinate in re He philosophically realizes secuting over 76,000 motorists for majority of the proved cases were scale of penalties is, for a first fusing them, and his argument was bed.

"offences which, in the case of dealt with by fines. Thus, in an offence, a fine not exceeding £20, that any motoring offence could be that it is a very imperfect world.

But a great change may come other vehicles, are not offences at offence which everyone justly re- and for a second or subsequent con- very serious and therefore a high with the new Road Traffic Act, and all! In actual practice, one cards as very serious it is evident viction a fine not exceeding £50, or maximum penalty should be set. as part of this may come into law lighted vehicle is as dangerous as that there were mitigating circum imprisonment up to three months. The magistrates, he said, could be before the end of this year, it is another.

stances which lessened their seri The motoring organizations have trusted to fit the punishment to the Fortunately, the police have ousness considerly. very important that the motorist

fought hard in Parliament to have crime! If the new Road Traffic, should realize his position, writes a adopted a very wise and fair course

these penalties reduced for specific Bill results in a marked increase of correspondent to the "Motor." One whereby many minor offences are

minor offences, and the ex-Minister police prosecutions for trifling of- regrettable feature of the proposed dealt with by a warning, and

of Transport, Colonel Ashley, sup- fences it will lose much of its new laws is that maximum penal-case of lighting "offences," over 33

ported them. But Mr. Morrison value. ties have been increased for many per cent, of them were dealt with offences, and this has been done in this way. Another 8 per cent. of against the strong protest of the lighting cases were withdrawn or and of dismissed. But, none the less, over motoring organizations many Members of Parliament, who £23,500 were taken in fines from have a wide experience of motor-motorists in respect of lighting ing: Another feature of the Bill is "affences" which, with other classes that many new offences have been of vehicle, would in most cases have created.

been no offence at all!

the

Most of these charges represent The law with regard to the light- the price which has been demanded ing of vehicles on the road is in a for the abolition of the speed limit, deplorably muddled state. In the and time alone will show whether matter of lighting there should be the price has been too high or not. uniformity for every type of vehi- If the police and the magistrates jele, and one law and ane set of carry out the spirit of the new penalties for all. It is a great blot laws all may be well; but if officious on the legislature that differences people stick to the very complicated should exist, as at present. letter of the new laws, then there

The next high figure on the table will be a mass of trouble. The new of offences is that in connexion laws will really be a greater test of with driving licences. Here, again, the police and of the courts than we see that most of them were very Iminor "erimes," for the police dealt The motorist who belongs to an with 40 per cart of them by police organization like the A.A..or the cautions, and 80 per cent. of the R.A.C. will have, his interests well other were either withdrawn or dis looked after and, provided that he missed. Thus, in nearly 60 per Lakes note of the advice given to cent. of the cases where the police driving- him, he ch steer clear of much fetched up motorists on trouble. But there is a very large licence "offences," no punitive ac-. number of misguided motorists who tion was taken. Under the new belong to no organization and laws penalties will be unnecessarily heaven help them when the gigantic stiffened, and there will be a new code of new laws comes into force.

of the motorist,

Imprisonment Clauses.

few motor

"crime" for not carrying an insur- ance certificate.

Taking light offences and As imprisonment for quite long driving-licence offences together. periods will be possible for a numwe have a total percentage of 39 ber of crimes, in addition to stiff per cent. of police activity against finds, it may well be that not a motorists based on two technical drivers are fated to and very minor causes. They in- spend a good deal of their future rolved over 115,000 people in a cer- time in prison, and during their tain loss of time and £37,000 in be busy nes. It can well be questioned if free periods they may raising money to pay fines. The the police super-activity here was number of drivers banned from the justified in the public interest, when road may be considerable.

we find in other official reports that

It is very important, therefore, really serious crimes, and offences to know along what lines the police have grown in a manner which tax are most likely to act, for the pothe resources of the police.. lice are very human and thus not!

always logical. Hence, we have to study police "form," just

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Other Trilling Charges.

In the same list of technical and, backer would study the "form" of to no small degree, trifling charges a footballer or a horse. Our guide we could reasonably include most book here is the latest statistics of the other items in the diagram. of motor "crimes" issued by the The 30,800 of obstruction charges Home Otice for the year 1920. In cannot have been serious, for we the official form the figures convey find that nearly one-third of them little, but as about one driver in were dropped or discharged. Then every nine came into conflict with we find thate a number of other the police last year, it is desirabit fences are so slight that they are that every motorist should know not specified or described in the the principal causes of trouble. Home Office Report, and yet they Uuder the new laws the most meant trouble and expense for over important change will be that one 29,000 motorists. The prosecutions favourile, to wit, "Speed Limit" for silencer offences are mainly will be scratched. Its place will be ridiculous when one notes that taken by "Careless Driving." which trams, pneumatic drills and many deserves very careful watching. other noises are tolerated by law. All the other well-known "runners' Even at this stage it can be safely will be there, but, with different said that no other class of the com- penalties. They will be joined by munity is so closely supervised and a big number of newcomers. But so readily and so frequently pounced we can safely say that the police upon by the police as the motorist. will follow the old favourites for Certainly, of all the "criminal" some time, and thus, if we have a classes, the motorist is the most clear idea of the police fancies at carefully looked after. present it will be a very useful

Dengerous Driving Only 9 per cent. guide for some time to come. careful study of "form" may keep The one really serious offence is many a motorist out of the courts. that of dangerous and reckless driv

For this reason I put some of the ing. It forms only 9 per cent. of main classes of prevailing offences all the police charges. Of these into percentage form, as by this dangerous-driving charges the po- means a ready comparison can be lice let aff 11 per cent. with a made of their respective frequency. caution, and 17 per cent, of the re- The two most serious offences are. mainder were withdrawn

or dis Manslaughter-I in 3,925 offences. charged. Thus, even in this seri Causing bodily harm by furious jous.offence, only 67 per cent, of the driving-1 in 7,440 offences. charges resulted in convictions; and out of over 18,000 convictions. all but four were disposed of by Of the manslaughter causes, 20 fines and only in one case was there drawn or dismissed, bodily harm imprisonment without the option cases were treated in the same way. of a fine. The good conduct of the Thus, it is a strikingly important British motorist is thus well de- fact that out of a total of 290,511 monstrated.

Withdrawn or Dismissed..

A

cases brought against motorists Eight per cent. of all the police by the police, only 91, or a micros-cases were for exceeding the speed copic fraction of the whole, were of limit; that is, in 1929 the police a really sericus nature,

prosecuted over 23,000 people for an Much higher penalties will attach "offence" which, by new. laws now to dan us driving under the new in the making, will no longer be an Act, ev when no bodily harm is offence. This is another remark- done, and the first great lesson for able example of the very mild the driver to learn is that under the nature of the "crimes" which new laws the punishment for caus-motorists commit, but which, none ing injury to other persons will be the less, occupy the time and the very severe indeed. We can only energy of the police in a very din hope that the investigation of the proportionate way. charges will be as thorough as the The figures show that well over changed, conditions demand,

Minor Offences Most Frequent

200,000 of the cases against motor- ists were technical and altogether unimportant from a "crime" point

We find that the most fre- of view. Allowing but one hour of quent offence is in connexion police time to each of these 200,000 with lighting, and It may cases, we find that they represent well

be questioned the over 8,300 full 24-hour days of po-

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Cost of Excessive Zeal, The whole subject of police activity against motorists deserves

The

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FEATURES

Choice of colors.

Triplex shatter-proof windshield. Four Houdaille Hydraulic two-way

'shock absorbers,

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Fully enclosed, sllent six-brake

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Vibration-absorbing engine, sup-

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55 to 65 miles an hour. Smoothness at all speeds.

Ease of operation, parking and

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An operator of Ford taxicabs in Shanghai reports that he gets 18

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This is real proof of Ford. economy, as taxicabs with frequent stops in traffic seldom get good mileage per gallon.

..

Through thickest traffic, down steepest hills, along the open road, you will have a feeling of security and confidence in driving the New Ford because of the quick, effective action of its six-brake system.

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Authorized Dealer:

OLO

WALLACE HARPER & Co., Ltd. 745, Nathan Road, Mongkok, Kowloon, HONG KONG.

T

AGAIN IN APRIL.

New Ford cars licensed, in · US.A. were 146, 112 compared with 83, 872 of next leading make. Almost 2 to 1.

Careful buyers prefer the New Ford for its beauty, comfort, economy and sturdy construction.

In 83 large cities in the United States during April, Ford sales were 2 times as many as next nearest car.i

FORD MOTOR COMPANY, EXPORTS INC., SHANGHAI

Auhortized Ford Dealers Only have proper facilities for servicing Ford Cars efficiently and to your entire satisfaction.