FT.—4O.

Department's traffic staff to the roads which should receive particular attention. Particulars are afforded also of the hours when accidents are most frequent and the type of accident and the nature of driving faults to be expected. (2) Individual Road Hazards. —Where the accident reports reveal individual road hazards such as obstruction to visibility, excessive loose metal, or other less common faults, the local authority controlling the road in question is advised of the report in order that investigations may be made and, wherever possible, the specific fault may be remedied. (3) Particulars to Local Authorities.—Brief particulars of the accidents in their particular areas are furnished also to the city and larger borough authorities. In this way these local authorities are kept in touch with the features of the accident position which most affect them, and may direct their preventive measures accordingly. (4) Accident Repeaters.—A register is maintained of all drivers involved in reported accidents. Where the same individual appears more than once in the records inquiries are made with a view to ascertaining whether he is prone to accident. As might be expected, many of the drivers who have had more than one accident involving injury to some person within the two years that the record has been kept appear to have committed no breach of the regulations. However, it is recognized that there is a certain class of person—and these are not confined to drivers of motor-vehicles —who seem to have the faculty of being unable to avoid accidents. In the case of a driver there may be some specific fault in his driving of which he is probably unaware, but which can be corrected when once identified. On the other hand, there are some drivers on the road who are by reason of their temperament and physical or mental make-up quite unfitted ever to be in charge of a vehicle. As illustrations of the types of drivers who are gradually being located and identified as a result of the inquiries made on the strength of their accident records, the following cases are quoted, necessarily without details which would provide means of identification : Case A, aged 23, was involved in a collision with another vehicle at an intersection, and a little over a year later he capsized the car he was driving. This driver revealed a complete lack of knowledge of the most, elementary traffic rules, and could not read or interpret a traffic sign. Although driving a car daily his low mentality and very poor driving co-ordination renders him quite unfit to be in charge of a motor-vehicle. Case B, aged 19, had two accidents within fifteen months, and has been convicted of negligent driving. He is reported as an irresponsible type lacking in knowledge of the regulations and of correct methods of driving. Case C, aged twenty, has since 1937 been involved in three accidents, two of which resulted in the death of a second person. Although charged with negligent driving he was acquitted and is still eligible to drive without any question being raised of his competence to hold a license. Case D. This driver, aged thirty-four years, was involved in two accidents within a few months, in connection with one of which he was convicted of failure to give way to another vehicle. The interviewing officer reports a tendency for excessive speed coupled with inexperience in driving. Case E, aged nineteen years, has been involved in two accidents, and has been twice convicted of speeding. He is reported as being of low intelligence and slow mental reaction. Case F, aged twenty-three years, has held a driving license for two years and been involved in three major accidents and several other minor ones. The interviewing officer gives his opinion that this man is definitely accident-prone. Case G, a motor-cyclist aged thirty-seven, was involved in two collisions. Later his license was cancelled on being convicted for being intoxicated in charge of a motor-cycle. Case H, aged thirty-two, was involved in two collisions within a year. The local Inspector reported that he had been under observation for some time and that his license was cancelled following conviction for intoxication on the occasion of the second accident. He was later again convicted—this time of dangerous driving and driving without a license. Case I, aged twenty-two, was involved in three accidents within a comparatively few months. On inquiry it was ascertained that this man is reputed to be mentally deficient. Case J, a motor-cyclist aged twenty-two years, was involved in three accidents in less than a year. On inquiry it was found that he had been warned by his employers after his third accident that his position would be prejudiced if he did not dispose of his machine. There is at present no legislative power enabling traffic. 1 , authorities to review the licenses of drivers of this type. At the present time, unless found by the Courts to be guilty of a serious breach —and in many cases no such breach has been committed or if committed cannot be proved — such drivers continue as a menace to other users of the road, simply by their general inability to safely control their motor-vehicles on the common highway. I). ENFORCEMENT OF TRAFFIC LAWS. (1) General. All branches of activity associated with the enforcement of traffic laws showed considerable expansion in activity during the year. The total number of officers engaged by the Government and local authorities for traffic control increased, the number of " warnings without prosecutions " issued by the Department's Inspectors increased substantially, and the number of convictions recorded in the Courts for traffic offences was 24,322, or 36 per cent, above the number for 1937 (17,814).

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