H,— 4o.

Accidents which do not involve Personal Injury, but involve Damage to Property. The Committee has made a preliminary investigation of the possibilities of securing data in regard to accidents where no personal injury occurs, but where a vehicle or other property is damaged. There is no statutory authority by which drivers might be compelled to give information regarding accidents where there is no personal injury. Moreover, reports of accidents furnished by the motorist would be apt to contain inexact information and it would generally be impossible to check their accuracy. The only present means whereby information regarding these accidents would be available is through the various insurance companies. However, it is ascertained that only a little over 40 per cent, of the total number of licensed vehicles are insured under comprehensive policies, and consequently the insurance companies would handle only a proportion of this class of accident. Furthermore, in the case of the majority of claims, the companies would not have sufficient data to supply all the desired information. It was also felt that the owner of an uninsured vehicle possibly represented a different psychology and that the data obtained from accidents involving insured vehicles only might not be representative of all accidents. The Committee therefore makes no recommendation to the Council at this stage regarding accidents involving damage to vehicles, but recommends that the collection of statistics should at present be confined solely to those accidents involving personal injuries. J. EL Jerram, Chairman. [Adopted by tbe Council subject to the returns being presented in the first place to the Transport Department.]

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (1,570 copies, including graphs) £90.

By Authority: E. Y. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington. —1937. Price Is. 3d.~\

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