Road Travel in Air Raids

Abstract

A NEW aspect of road safety emerges with the decision to allow road traffic to continue during air-raid warnings. General agreement seems to have been arrived at that this decision is a wise one. As pointed out in Roads and Road Construction of September 2, the long lines of vehicles held up during the early raids, with their occupants standing about waiting for something to happen, presented an excellent target for machine-guns. It is difficult to see what other course could have been taken. Judging by experience learned from recent raids, many motorists are taking advantage of this concession. Travelling along roads deserted of all but police and A.R.P. personnel is a curious experience; and so is the feeling of frustration in a closed car produced by inability to see what is going on overhead. Something of what is happening can be guessed from the attitude of wardens and others, but in the absence of exact knowledge one tends to develop what has been called a sort of ‘musical chairs’ attitude towards the public shelters passed when driving, the question now being where the music (?) will start—not when it will stop. It has been suggested that something might be done to give motorists a feeling of greater security, or rather to reduce their feeling of insecurity, by way of signposting shelters along the main traffic routes. In many places signs have already been erected, but these are scarcely conspicuous enough to be seen by passing traffic; they cater more for the local inhabitants. Shops and private houses with surplus shelter accommodation might also be induced to co-operate.