ENG-1966 — Page 215

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PUBLIC ORDER

At formal ceremonies held at the City Hall during 1966 the Commissioner presented letters of appreciation and monetary awards to 88 members of the public in recognition of their valu- able contribution to law and order in the prevention of crime or apprehension of criminal offenders, sometimes at considerable risk to themselves.

TRAFFIC

Vehicles registered at the end of the year totalled 94,506, the number newly registered showing a decline for the first time in many years. (Vehicle statistics are given in Appendix XXXVI.) Further controls on traffic were imposed in order to maintain a smooth flow. The installation of traffic lights at road junctions continued, along with re-routing of traffic in an effort to lessen congestion in certain areas.

In June a system of compulsory inspection of taxis and public cars was introduced in order to ensure that these vehicles comply with basic safety requirements. The scheme has proved successful and the figure of 50 per cent of vehicles which failed to obtain a certificate of road-worthiness on first examination at the commen- cement of the scheme had dropped by the end of the year to 40 per cent. The present total number of taxis licensed is 2,763.

The demand for driving licences also continued to rise, and to cope with the increasing demand for driving tests additional examiners were employed, making a total of 27. This resulted in a marked reduction in the waiting period for most types of driving tests, although 29,228 holders of provisional licences were still await- ing tests at the end of the year.

The Road Safety Association, together with the Jaycees, kaifong associations and other bodies interested in promoting road safety, continued with their efforts to publicize and propagate road safety in all its various forms. The School Safety Patrol Organization continued to expand and the total number of schools participating is now 37. During the year there were 264 fatalities and 8,797 persons injured due to traffic accidents, compared with 268 and 8,599 respectively in 1965.