Contemplated Rise in Insurance Rates for Motor Cars: Good Driving, Bad Traffic Conditions: Big Fatality Jump Last Year With the ineresse in the number ears in Shanghai during -year, which is unparalleled, history of ther city, and the of many more motor buses and trackless trams on the now too narrow streets, the Traffic Department of the International Settlement is confronted with a problem which is taxing the minds of the senior officials in the department. Considerable attention is also being aid to the problem by the 31 motor car insurance companies operating in Shanghai, and officials of these companies claim that, without doubt, a further increase of from 20 to 80 per cent: in insurance rates, will be made within the next two or three months.
As shown by the statistics-of the Traffic Department, the number of vehicle accidents ' and fatalities Jumped astoundingly during the past year. The following table gives the figures for the first six months of this yarr compared with, hose "daring the same peried of 1
Total No. Accidents "den, 438 698 Stare bee 16 Feu. '0 20 Apa 600 for June 286 555 Sez Total 2838 3788 Further statistics show thet the faster-moving motor vehicles cause most of the accidents. Charts in the Traffic Department show that most of the injuries from these vehicles occur in the congested district down town, while the next largest number are in the Western district, where the smooth roads. encourage fast driving. This to the belief that many accidents which occur in the resident district fare the result of recklessness and could be avoided by the motorists themselves, This would not only save life, but contribute in keeping down the insurance rates for all motor owners since the rates are based directly on the percentage of cases in which the companies have to pay damages.
The second largest number of casualties occur amongst the hand-drawn vehicles and most of these are in the central district. By for the least number of casualties caused by the trams and buses, though this is accounted for by the fact that these vehicles are in the minority in numbers-
Just what the Traffic Department doing to fight against the ever-teasing number of accidents is Every accident, be it ever so small, must be reported to the station in the district where it it occurred, Those reports are turn sent in to headquarters where they are noted and the necessary court action taken,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.