ENG-1990 — Page 287

TRANSPORT

Annual testing of private cars at 17 designated car testing centres in the private sector expanded to encompass all cars manufactured before 1984. A total of 78 371 such cars were inspected in 1990 compared to 80 000 in 1989. With effect from August 1, 1990, this scheme was expanded to include the annual examination of light goods vehicles with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding 1.9 tonnes, mostly vans, over six years old.

Airport service vehicles are inspected within the airport precincts, while franchised buses are checked at their company depots. The high standard of franchised bus maintenance continued throughout the year and few prosecutions for serious defects were found to be

necessary.

New legislation was introduced during the year covering the maximum weight of articulated vehicles, sideguards and rearguards on trucks, brake system warning devices and protective partitions inside vans.

Road Safety

Traffic accidents involving injury decreased by five per cent in 1990. During the year there were 15 471 accidents, of which 3 614 were serious and 311 fatal. This compares with 16214 in 1989 (4036 serious, 330 fatal). In-depth investigations using computerised records were carried out at 126 traffic accident blackspots in order to identify accident causes. Remedial accident prevention measures were recommended at 103 of these locations. Remedial measures, when implemented, have been shown to reduce accidents by 21 per cent on average.

Accident statistics are at Appendix 39.

Road Safety campaigns continued to play an important role in reducing traffic accidents. The major themes of 1990 campaigns were adult pedestrian safety, particularly the elderly, and promoting road safety for drivers, especially light goods vehicle drivers and those with less than two years' driving experience. Apart from posters, television announcements and leaflets, four issues of the Road Safety Quarterly were produced and widely distributed. To effectively convey road safety messages to mass audiences, a series of radio and television road safety programmes were broadcast.

A vehicle weighstation at Ma Liu Shui near the Tolo Highway started operation in January to intensify enforcement action against overloaded goods vehicles. Up to end- 1990, 3 517 prosecutions had been made.

A new microcomputer-based traffic accident data system was developed in 1990 to facilitate the fast updating of accident records and easy retrieval of accident statistics for traffic accident blackspot analysis and road safety strategy formulation. The system started operation in December 1990.

By the end of 1990, the Road Safety Association of Hong Kong operated 468 school road safety patrols and school staff patrols operated at 208 schools, all with the objective of ensuring the safety of schoolchildren on their way to and from school. The Road Safety Council, an advisory body, continued to co-ordinate all road safety matters in the territory.

Public Transport

The Hong Kong public transport system is notable for its variety of modes and operators and its intensity of service. A network of rail, ferry, bus and other road services extends to almost every part of the territory.

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