Method of preventing double data reception in selective reception communication system

A selective reception communication system operates to prevent a double data reception from occurring owing to the difference between times at which data are transmitted over transmission paths when switching is effected from one transmission path to another due to a transmission path or node fault. Frame data transmission delay times required for data to reach a destination node over the transmission paths are established in every predetermined period of time. For data communication between nodes, frame data transmitted over the transmission path are given time delays corresponding to the differences between the established frame data transmission delay times and the longest one of the frame data transmission delay times. The frame data which have been transmitted over the different transmission paths now arrive simultaneously at the destination node where switching is made between the transmission paths.