A Study of the Road

Deaths Problem

Murder Most

Foul...

J. S. DEAN

Murder most foul, as in the best it is;

But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.

LONDON

Published for

The Public Affairs News Service

GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD

First Published in 1947

Printed in Great Britain

by Watford Printers Ltd.

Watford

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1. THE FACTS

THE FASCIST RECORD

II.

TOLL OF THE MOTORISTS

III.

"ATTRIBUTED TO"

IV.

THE MOVABLE X

FOUR POINTS ABOUT THE DRIVERS

VI.

THE PEDESTRIANS

2. ABOUT SPEED LIMITS

"HOLIDAY FROM DEATH`

II.

INTOXICATION AND SADISM.

111.

SPEED AND DEMOCRACY

3. THE MOTOR INTERESTS

1. LAW v. DRIVERS

A. THE AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
B. "SOCIETY" AND M.P'S.
C. INCOMPLETE STATISTICS
D. CAREER OF EARL HOWE

II. THE BIG LIE

A. HITLER'S PREDECESSORS

B. CURIOUS STATISTICS

111. ---EDUCATION"

A. THE VICIOUS CIRCLE
B. THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS
C. "SAFETY FIRST - FOR DRIVERS"
D. EFFECTS ON CHILDREN
E. THE POLICE AND "EDUCATION"
F. "SAFE-DRIVING COMPETITION"

1V. ROADS AND ROAD "IMPROVEMENTS"

4. THEIR SPIRITUAL HOME

5. THE GOVERNMENT

1. NON-ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW

11. THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

A. THE WRONG DEPARTMENT
B.D E R E S T R I C T I O N
C. A MINISTERIAL EPISODE
D. MORE PROPAGANDA

111. CURRENT POLICY

A. STRANGE REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS
B. STILL STRANGER "INTERIM REPORT"
C. HALF OF NOTHING

6. REMEDIES

7. THE ROOT CAUSE

CONCLUSION

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Some of the information used in the following pages has appeared in the News Letter of the Pedestrians' Association, and the writer desires to thank the Committee, of which he has the honour to be Chairman, and the Secretary, Mr. T. C. Foley, for their permission to him to make use of it. In general, the views set out in the following pages are those of the Pedestrians' Association, but the degrees of emphasis and the modes of expression are, of course, the writer's own. Section 3, III.F. " Safe-Driving Competition " - in substantially the form given here - was circulated among local authorities by the Pedestrians' Association in October last in the form of a pamphlet. In this connection attention is drawn to the footnote on page 64.