Category: Queensland State Archives’ Photostream About Fortitude Valley

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Sharp Increase In Road Toll

Brisbane, February 5.- Road accidents, deaths and injuries in Queensland showed a sharp increase in the 12 months ended June 30, 1950, over the previous year, according to a report by the Government Statistician (Mr Solomon).

Mr. Solomon said that 11,958 road accidents were reported during the 12 months period, 3958 of them causing death or other personal injury. In these accidents 202 people were killed, 1330 received serious injuries, and 3441 minor injuries.

This was 2607 more accidents than in the previous year. Thirty-three more people were killed and 754 more injured. The death or injury rate among motor cyclists in 1949-50 was much higher than in the two previous years, and more than twice the rate recorded before the war.

One motor cyclist was killed or injured during the 12 months under review for every 17 motor cycles on the register. Against

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Road Safety In Sweden

Sweden has a way of dealing with drunken drivers on whom it is planned to inflict heavier penalties. Under new legislation now before the Swedish Parliament, anyone found at the wheel of a car when his blood contains .08 per cent or more of alcohol will be gaoled, instead of fined as hitherto.

Police surgeons there have the right to take a blood test of anyone suspected of being “under the influence,” irrespective of whether he has an accident or is even driving a car. It is sufficient to be sitting at the wheel.

Other Swedish road safety measures include snap inspections of vehicles at the road-side. State inspectors have the right to stop motorists and check the brakes, steering and other safety factors in their cars. It is an offence to drive a car with defective brakes or steering gear.

Description source:
Townsville Daily Bulletin,

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During the 1950s, Ford’s Australian sales were faltering due to the popularity of the Holden which did not have an effective competitor. Ford assembled the British Zephyr and its Consul and Zodiac derivatives. However, while these cars were moderately successful and had a good reputation, Ford could not match Holden’s price, so sales suffered.

Hence, Ford decided to commence local production of a Holden challenger. Initially, they intended to produce the Zephyr, Consul, and Zodiac, using expensive dies they would need to purchase from Ford of Britain. However, during a visit to Ford headquarters in Detroit in 1958, they were shown the new Falcon, which was being prepared for its US launch.

Immediately, the executives were attracted to the new car – it was about the same size as Holden, but it was low, long, wide and modern. Besides all this, Ford Australia felt they had more

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Talks Today For Safer Highways

The road safety lecturers’ conference beginning in Brisbane to-day will view vertical magnetic boards used in demonstrating traffic problems. Objects such as cars and figures are movable on the boards, and do not fall off.

The conference is being attended by lecturers from all Australian States except Western Australia. It is being staged by the Australian Road Safety Council, and will continue until Friday in the Police Welfare Culb lecture room, Roma Street.

Discussions will centre on safety education of children.

“Terrific toll”

The State Transport Minister (Mr. Duggan) said last night that the adult was being educated through the child in road safety. A genuine emergency existed in the country in the terrific toll of the road.

Mr. Duggan will open the conference this morning.

Description source:
The Courier-Mail, 25 August 1952

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Digital Image ID 16606

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The Holden FE is an automobile which was produced by Holden in Australia from 1956 to 1958. It was also the first Holden to be assembled in New Zealand, where General Motors New Zealand built their first example on 31 January 1957.

The FE models were built on a longer wheelbase than the FJ series Holdens which they replaced and they featured totally different styling. A single piece windscreen was now fitted and other improvements included a 12 volt electrical system, improved steering, a front stabiliser bar and wider wheel rims.

When introduced in July 1956, the FE range consisted of the Holden Standard Sedan, Holden Business Sedan and Holden Special Sedan, names designating different levels of equipment and interior trim. The existing Fj series Holden Utility and Holden Panel Van models continued alongside the new sedans, with the FE Utility replacing its FJ counterpart in February

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Road Council Safety Display

With a realisation of the toll of the road, the Queensland Road Safety Council had a unique display at the show, and it was viewed by a large crowd of people at each session that was conducted.

The Miles driver training machine was shown. The machine is operated similarly to a vehicle on the road and the reactions of the driver are shown on a screen. On the screen are various road signs.

The machine tests both the ability of the driver and his reactions, that is, the lag of time between seeing the danger and telling himself to act.

A number of charts provide illustrations of the carelessness exercised by both drivers and pedestrians. “Life is precious – watch your step,” is the caption of one poster.

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Morning Bulletin, 22 June 1951

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Digital Image ID 16605

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Road Safety’s New Aim

To “Save a Life a Day on the Queen’s highway” during the Royal tour year is the new aim of the Australian Road Safety Council.

Before a capacity attendance in the Brisbane City Hall the chairman of the Australian Road Safety Council (Mr T. G. Paterson) made an impassioned plea to all Australians to show their appreciation and enjoy life in a practical way by safer and more courteous behaviour on the roads.

“In this year of national rejoicing,” he said, “let all the Queen’s subjects who use her highways know that our Sovereign’s first concern is the welfare of her people, and that we could make her no better gift than the lives of at least 365 Australians who otherwise would be sacrificed in the senseless carnage of the roads.”
…
Mr Paterson said that road accidents, like humanity’s other great problems, could not be

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New Slogan For Road Safety Campaign

Cairns: A new slogan to supersede “death is so permanent” will come into force next year, which will appropriately tie in with the forthcoming Royal tour. The slogan will be: “Let courtesy reign on the Queen’s highway.”

Mr. T. G. Patterson, chairman of the Australian Road Safety Council, who sailed in the Elsanna yesterday for a holiday cruise to Thursday Island, said this in Cairns.

Mr. Patterson said the object of the campaign would be to save a life a day, and reduce the road toll thereby by 365 lives a year.

Today’s road toll, he said, exceeds 1800 lives a year, but observation of the slogan and its concomitant message would bring this down to 1500 lives a year.

Description source:
Warwick Daily News, 31 October 1953

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Digital Image ID 16673

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Road Safety Council

Brisbane Conference

Brisbane, August 14.- The Australian Road Safety Council conference will be held in Brisbane from August 25 to August 29. Delegates from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory will attend.

It will be the second such conference the council has held and the first in Queensland. The agenda includes consideration of “behind the wheel” training, developments of juvenile traffic courts in schools, development of mass safety first demonstrations by schools, the problem of teaching migrant children road safety, and the design and production of a “pledge card” for all school children.

The conference will be opened by the Minister for Transport (Mr. J. E. Duggan).

Description source:
Cairns Post, 15 August 1952

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Digital Image ID 15012

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Council Taking Traffic Census

A special check on the volume of traffic using Story Bridge is being made by the City Council works department.

Checks, which are made on the volume of traffic during peak hour periods, will be carried on until the Council is satisfied that an average volume can be estimated.

Council officers were on duty on the southern approach to the bridge from 4 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. yesterday.

A Council spokesman said that the census was being taken before changes were made in the lay-out of Kemp Place.

Suggestions have been made that Kemp Place should be altered in lay-out because of the tremendous volume of traffic using the bridge.

When materials and labour are available, the Fire Brigade will move from its present headquarters in Ann Street to a site in Kemp Place.

Description source:
Brisbane Telegraph, 4 August 1951

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Digital Image

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