Museum Notebook: Steady as she goes

The remains of a car crash caused where speed was a factor. Photograph by T H Whetton, 15 October 1929. Photo / Whanganui Regional Museum Collection Ref: 1802.10195

As the summer holidays approach, more people will be hitting the road to explore our beautiful country and the many sights and experiences we have at our fingertips. And of course, in our travels during the busy holiday season, we will adhere to speed limits.

Since humans have started using different modes of transport other than their feet, be it on horseback or in animal-drawn wagons, there have been accidents. The introduction of powered motor vehicles has seen an increase in road accidents, and the number of incidents have grown with the size, speed, and power of the vehicles available.

New Zealand has a small population but a high ratio of car ownership and subsequently a high crash and fatality rate. Road death statistics were first recorded in 1921, with 69 people losing their lives as a result of car accidents. Car ownership continued to increase and the number of fatalities increased with it. The highest recorded number of road deaths was 843 in 1973. Last year, we lost 320 lives on our roads.

Aside from the personal cost, there is a significant financial cost that goes into clearing the social debris of road accidents. The Government spends billions of dollars each year on the medical expenses, repairs to property damage, and legal fees these accidents incur. To minimise and prevent road accidents, rules and laws have been introduced. These laws cover drink driving, seatbelts, mobile phone usage, roading design, police patrolling, vehicle safety, driver licensing and speed limits.

The remains of a car crash caused where speed was a factor. Photograph by T H Whetton, 15 October 1929. Photo / Whanganui Regional Museum Collection Ref: 1802.10195

Speed was identified early on as a significant factor in the severity of road crashes. When a car crashes and comes to a sudden halt, the items inside the car (including people) keep travelling at the same speed until they are forced to stop, either by hitting an object or by the seatbelt. So speed limits were introduced in an effort to curb vehicle speeds and prevent too much damage.

The first national speed limit of 30 miles per hour (48km/h) was introduced in 1930. Prior to this, councils were able to introduce speed limits for their own regions. By 1907 Whanganui had set the speed limit for the town at eight miles per hour, and then reduced it to four miles per hour over the bridge in 1913.

Enforcing speed limits has always been controversial. The first speed detector was developed by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1949. The cumbersome machines were set up on the roadside and aimed at oncoming traffic, which made the dish ring. A higher-pitched tone indicated the car was speeding, so an officer would check the speed and radio ahead to another officer further down the road and have them stop and ticket the driver.

The technology continued to develop and by 1993 mobile speed cameras were able to accurately capture the details of a speeding car and have a ticket mailed to the registered owner.

One of the photographs here from the Whanganui Regional Museum's collection shows the sign erected over the entrance to Victoria Ave from the Town Bridge, reminding drivers of the eight miles an hour (12.87km/h) speed limit in town.

The other shows a car that crashed at the intersection of Springvale Rd and Town Belt Rd (now Parsons St), where speed was a contributing factor.

Travel safe these holidays!

Sandi Black is the archivist at Whanganui Regional Museum.