Evening Star Newspaper, December 9, 1928, Page 82

563 CLEVELANDERS KILLED BY TRAFFIC ®Gross Carelessness” in 30- Month Period Held Largely Responsible. Reckless and drunken drivers, most ‘of whom are irresponsible youths under 25 years of age; gross carelessness on the part of pedestrians, and playing children, whose propensity it is to dart into traffic-laden thoroughfares—these are the three outstanding causes for Cleveland’s traffic death toll of 583 per- sons during the past 30 months. ‘The Cleveland Automobile Club and ghe Cleveland Safety Council, interest- ed in determining the chief causes for the fifth city’s tremendous traffic death toll, have just completed a careful anal- ysis of each of the 583 traffic deaths occurring here during the past two and one-half years. The three conclusions, enumerated in the order of their im- portance in the foregoing, are revealed by the Automobile Club-Safety Council analysis. Full finding. * study were annou 'y by Fred H, Caley, secretary . ...2 Cleveland Automobile Club, and Dr. H. L. Rock- wood, city health commissioner and vice president of the Cleveland Safety Council. High Lights of Study. Here, briefly, are some of the high Rights of the study: Forty-three per cent of Cleveland's 583 deaths during the closing 30 months’ span were caused by reckless and drunken automobile drivers; 31 per cent by careless and drunken pedestri- :;ns, and 21 per cent by playing chil- ren, ‘The most dangerous hours to traverse Cleveland thoroughfares are between 6 pm. and midnight. During this pe- riod 258 persons, or 44 per cent of the 30 months’ total death toll, were slain. More people were killed crossing thor- oughfares between intersections than at intersections. On this point the Automobile Club- Bafety Council analysis shows that 323 persons were killed between intersec- tions, against 257 killed at intersections. Eight main trafic arteries—St. Clair, Woodland, Euclid, Superior, Kinsman, Lorain, Broadway and Cedar avenues— and one heayily traveled crosstown thoroughfare—East Fifty-fifth street— claimed 204 lives, considerably more than one-third of the entire 30 months’ ml;ncirm"xécy total, uring the past 214 years 38 persons were killed in St. Clair lvenue,pe(M in Woodland avenue, 24 each in Euclid and Superior avenues, 21 in Kinsman road, 17 in Lorain avenue and 12 each in Broadway and Cedar avenue. In East Fifty-fifth street 22 persons were killed. The most dangerous spot in the en- tire city—that is to say, the spot where the most people,were killed during the past 21, years—was at Bulkley boule- vard and West Twenty-eighth street. ‘The total at this point was 4 deaths. Beven other intersections claimed a total of 3 lives each. These intersec- tions were East Fifty-fifth street and Cedar avenue, West Twenty-fifth street and Denison avenue, Lorain avenue and ‘West Ninety-eighth street, Madison ave- nue and West 112th street, St. Clair and ette avenues, Woodland ave- nue and East Twenty-eighth street, and Woodland avenue and East Thirtieth street. It is inte: to note that not & single traffic death occurred at the in- tersection of Euclid avenue and East Ninth street—said to be the third busi- est street intersection in America—nor on the high-level bridge, over which mpward of 62,000 automobiles pass daily, nor at Euclid avenue and East 105th street, another of the city’s busiest street intersections. Carnegie avenue, where the daily passage of travel is close to 36,000 automobiles, recorded but B deaths during the past 21, years, Signal Lights Effective. The fact that traffic fatalities have Peen negligible at the busy and con- ted points enumerated is attributed the Automobile Club and the Safety Councll to effective traffic signal light operation and rigid police supervision. Passenger automobiles were involved in 451 of the 583 fatal traffic accidents, oor about 77 per cent of the total. Trucks ‘were involved in 97 accidents, or about 16 per cent of the total. Taxicabs and street cars were involved in 14 fatal accidents each, or about 215 per cent of the total for each. This finding, the Automobile Club and the Safety Council pointed out, indicates quite clearly that the great problem of making thoroughfares safe is largely one of dealing with the passenger car, both from the standpoint of its drivers and from the standpoint of the pedestrian in danger of being run down by the passenger car operator. Ninety per cent of the drivers in- volved in accidents were male. Five per cent of them were female. The re- maining five .per cent were hit-skip drivers who made successful getaways and consequently their sex is unknown. Three hundred and fifteen of the 531 male drivers who figured in fatal acci- dents during the past two and one-half years here were irresponsible youths under 25 years of age. Gross carelessness on the part of both the automobile driver and the pedestrian stands out as the biggest single cause for traffic deaths. § Careless drivers caused 92 deaths, careless pedestrians—that is to say pe- destrians who were killed as a result of their own thoughtlessness—were victims in 44 other fatal accidents. The iotal death toll, then, laid at the door ‘;;sdflm and pedestrian carelessness is Intoxication, both of the driver and the pedestrian, stands second in the list of fatal accident causes. Drunken drivers figured in 58 fatal accidents, drunken pedestrians who staggered into the path of oncoming traffic, were victims in 39 additional fatal mishaps. The total death toll, then, laid at the door of drunken drivers and drunken pedestrians, was 97, Fifteen drivers who “crashed” traf- fic signal lights killed 15 persons, 66 pedestrians who attempted to cross thoroughfares in disobedience of trafic lights and police warning. were led as a result. One striking finding of the study was the fact that 380 of the 583 per- sons killed in traflic during the past 30 months caused their own deaths. ‘That is, police, after investigating these ;!831 deaths, sald the victims were at a A Plate Glass Lens Is Legal With Flatlite Reflectors SEE US TODAY CREEL 'BROS. 1811-17 14th St. NeW, Pot. 473 _Headiich ind Recistered _ HAWKINS NASH Have Moved to 1529 14th St. N.W. the trafic death the | free, SUBTERRANEAN PARKING AREA URGED AS TRAFFIC AID System of Staggered Reporting Time for Officeholders Also Suggested in Reducing Congestion. b The following suggestions for the betterment of traffic conditions in the National Capital are submitted by Car- roll Beale, C. E, who is of the belief that a system of staggered reporting time for officeholders and & subter- ranean parking area would alleviate present day congestion materially. In elaborating in this plan, Mr. Beale states: “The fact that a given number of persons must arrive at or depart from a given location at a given time and the limitations of traffic facilities gov- erning the accomplishment of this end constitute what is comminly known as the traffic problem. The inequalities between the demand of time and the facilities afforded to meet that demand constitute what is know as traffic con- gestion; that is, of course, where the facilities afforded are inadequate to meet the demand. “Automobile traffic facilities are limited by physical conditions very often impossible of economic better- ment. The widening of roadways and the speeding up of traffic have their economic limitations. Therefore, in searching for remedial measures to a thoroughly unsatisfactory situation and assuming that the traffic facilities are not susceptible of economic betterment, it is only reasonable to try and improve upon the other component factor of the equation, namely, the time factor. Limited By Street Areas. “Prevailing office hours in Washing- ton are from 9 until 4:30 o'clock. This means that more than one hundred thousand persons must report at gen- erally centralized locations at the same time and depart at the same time. As the discharge of the contents of a bot- tle is limited by the size of the bottle neck so is the discharge from the offices limited by the street areas and traffic facilities. “Obviously, if the time for reporting to work irn the morning could be stag- gered between the hours of 8 and 9 o'clock in increments of time, we will say, of 15 minutes, and the time of departure arranged in the same manner, there would be four great movements of traffic instead of one, and the re- sultant trafic congestion would become exactly one-fourth of its present di- mensions. ‘This arrangement would en- able one group to arrive and depart at a time, and be well out of the way of the following one. The promulgation of this system would manifestly assist in relieving the present congestion, which is still in its infancy, and, syste- matically worked out, applied and am- plified, would permit existing facilities to take care of the traffic for many years to come. “Of equal importance to the stagger- ing of business and theater hours is the problem of parking. Washington today has a population of 550,000 per- sons and an estimated population in 1940 of nearly 800,000. There are at present registered in the District of Co- lumbia nearly 150,000 cars of various kinds and an estimated registration in 1940 of about 200,000 cars. This means each day from the neighboring States and it is conservative to say that during working hours there is one car in the District for each three inhabitants, City Near Top of List. “Comparatively speaking, Washington stands at about the top of the list in the matter of whc‘lipl;l” ‘ue':;.n&bucel registration. Marylans T Te oy R population of ap- proximately 1,700,000 people or about one car to each six persons. In Balti- more proper there are estimated to be 94,000 cars and a population of about 900,000 persons or one car to every nine persons, Virginia has a population of 2,600,000 pecple and an automobile registration of about 360,000 cars or a per capita registration of seven cars. “The foregoing statistical data are em+ bodied herein solely for the purpose of showing the cause of the relative park- 1ing congestion here. Augmented as this congestion is by the uniformity of gov- ernmental hours, the fact that in cer- tain areas 24-hour parking is permitted and the unduly per capita auto registration and some idea will be gleaned as to the cause of the parking lon. “Twenty-four-hour parking on our up-town streets ‘being permissible and , has e ‘commercially un- profitable the rages and pa use ly ma “free.” As s matter of fact nothing is free. The District of Columbia is spend- ing today millions of dollars for widen- ing the streets of the city which would be amply wide as they are if parking were not permitted. A case was recent- 1y brought to the writer’s attentionofa request for an appropriation for the purpose of widening a street. The ap- propriation called for an expenditure of $25,000. Upon investigation it developed that 20 cars belonging to Government employes parked along one side of the street all day. The street in question is amply wide for all purposes of traffic if not used for parking purposes. In other words & Governmental expendie ture of $25,000 is requested for the parking of 20 privately owned cars or a unit exundlture of $1,250 per car. ‘This Earle’s Battery & Elec. Ser. 2423 Penna. Ave. NW. West 2289 Prest-O-Lite Service Fred Hart Battery Co. 1537 14th St. N.W. Decatur 5295 Prest-O-Lite Service F conditon of affairs applies generally over the entire downtown section of the city. Streets are being widened, trees cut down, curbs set back at a cost to the city of more than a thousand dollars per parking berth for privately owned auto- mobiles. Space for 4,000 Cars. “Below the areas occupied by La- fayette, McPherson and Franklin Bquares and_the streets linking these squares together is ample parking space for more than 4,000 cars, or more Cars than can be parked on all four sides of 50 city blocks. All the cars now be- ing parked between Pennsylvania ave- nue and N street and from Twelfth to Nineteenth street could be parked in these areas. The writer estimates that subterranean parking spaces Wwhich would in no way interfere with the present parks or the vegetation could be constructed at a cost not in excess of $1,250 per car. Properly ventilated, drained and lighted, these subterranean spaces afford an opportunity such as is not to be had in any other city of get- ting the cars off the streets, making them accessible at all hours of the day to the owners, sheltering them from the weather and eliminating to a large ex- tent the time now lost in searching for parking places. “The Federal Government spends many millions of dollars on parks, mon- uments and memorials, many of them in the District of Columbia. To say nothing of the convenience afforded the people, what better monument could the Government build than the rid- dance to the streets of Washington of the cars now parked upon them? When the expense of street widening and maintenance is taken into consideration, which expense is now being borne by the taxpayer, it will be seen that the cost of constructing subterranean park- ing spaces will inflict no additional bur- den. As an offset to the cost of con- struction, it is ible to remove the earth excavation hydraulically by flume under the city and deposit it into the Potomac River marshes now being filled in by ordinary dredging processes. “The parking problem here has only begun. Fifty years from now it will be insurmountable, unless some thought is given the matter and means taken to prepare for it. The time to give consideration to this matter is right now. Of such importance is the sub- Ject that to neglect consideration of it on the part of the authorities is only a postponement to some future time when the problem has grown to such pro- portions as to make the use of the automobile of no practical value for ordinary business purposes, Eventually —why not now?” TOURISTS TO CANADA BRING BIG REVENUE Spend $276,288,140, Exceeding All of Country’s Exports in Value but Wheat. OTTAWA, Ontario.—Motorists tour- ing through Canada last year gave the Dominion a larger revenue than that obtained from the electric power, min- ing, trapping, or fishing industries, and wheat is the only one of the country's exports that exceeded in value the amounts spent by visiting motorists. The total outlay expended by the approximate 12,600,000 Canadian motor visitors in 1927, amounted to about $276,288,140, according to a report of the department of colonization and de- velopment of the Canadian Pacific Railway, made public here. “Eleven per cent of the total en- trants, or 3,315 received permits to stay more than 60 days, but less than six months; 740,398, or over 23 per cent, remained for periods not exceeding 60 days, and ‘2,410,087, or 76 per cent, stayed only 24 hours,” says the report. “It is assumed that each person in a motor car, which averages four to the car, was responsible for an outlay of $5 daily for supplies and exportable purchases. “Canada’s tourist flow for 1928 will probably break all previous records. By June 1, 1,028,427 automobiles had been admitted at the international border, and since the peak of tourist traffic is not reached until after July 1, these figures are taken to represent not more than a quarter of the total trafc for Oy oproxiately 3 crossed “‘Approxima ,153,800 cars the Canadian "border in 1927, the average touring motor vehicle entries recorded at the 145 ports along the international bounda automobiles.” i B Atwater Kent Auto Eicctrician DESSEZ’S BATTERY SERVICE Southwest Corner 11th and Penna. Ave. S.E, Phone Lincoln 3600 Battery _,zhuht Generators-Starters Repaired Lib North 5162 Prest-0-Lite Servi ROCK CREEK SER. STA. 1827 Adams Mill Road Col. 10474 Prest-0-Lite Serviee Cold Wave Coming Be Prepared! battery is fully not, drive to Service Station Make sure your charged, and if a Prest-O-Lite for real service on any make of battery or car. Prompt Service. $1.00 for recharging POTOMAC BATTERY & ELECTRIC CO. 1629 14th St. NW. Potomac 1810 “You Will Enjoy the Service.” B. F. Schrider 6919 Piney Branch Road Takoma Park Georgin 1298 Prest-O-Lite Service Parkview Service Co., Inc. 200 Florida Ave. N.W, R. D, Keadle, Prep, North 6407 Prest-0-Lite Service AUTO PRODUGTION LOW INNOVEMBER Output Is Below October Mark, but Much Better Than a Year Ago. Production for the month of Novem- ber will be well below that of October, according to B. H. Cram, president of Cram’s Automotive Reports, Inc. On the other hand, production is expected to run approximately 75 per cent high- er than that of November, 1927, when a total of 134,411 cars and trucks were turned out. A conservative estimate places No- vember, 1928, output at 225,000 units combined for both lines. No particular changes are effected in the retail sales situation. Volume of business is re- ported as holding between fair and good, considering the season of the year, which is generally marked as a slack period. It is the bellef that dur- ing the month of December ordering may be fairly heavy, but actual deliv- eries will continue to decline until after January 1. The truck situation is practically the same as that which exists in the pas- senger car fleld. Output for the cur- rent week was reduced, but the Novem- ber total will be well over that of the same time a year ago, thus adding con- siderably to the accumulated year's total and bringing this up to a figure comparable with that of last year. Sales continue fair, with some improve- ment noted in the bus manufacturing division. Export sales are holding up well and account for a substantial por- tion of the business now being done. It is expected that truck sales during the month of December will not fall off in as great a proportion as passenger car sales, due to the excellent foreign market which is being comparatively well maintained. ‘ire manufacturers continue to pro- duce on seasonally heavy schedules, the present output being equal to or higher than that shown for any corresponding period in past years. Dealer orders under_ the Spring-r-ting system con- tinue heavy and are responsible for the aggressive production which reflects the effort of manufacturers to build up in- ventories to meet the heavy delivery demands which will develop later. Orig- inal equipment ordering is somewhat reduced, but the next two weeks should show a decided change for the better §5,000,000.000 ROAD MEASURES SLATED House to Consider 54 and Senate 28 Bills This Session. A total of 54 bills in the House and 28 in the Senate, involving nearly three billion dollars of expenditures in behalf of the Federal-aid highway construction program of the United States, will be considered by the present Congress which convened Monday, according to a legislative survey made by the Amer- jcan Motorists’ Association. These are highway bills whieh were introduced at the last session of the present Con- gress and which were not disposed of before adjournment. ‘The association’s summary shows that there are 19 appropriation bills which would authorize a total of $2,193,841,145 immediately as expenditures in further- ance of the Federal Government’s high- way construction program during the next three years. Of that number the largest is the Browne-Watson bill, designed to create a special highway fund of $407,000,000 from the proceeds of the sale of sur- plus highway equipment and war ma- terials sold to Franee following the war. ‘The bonds, in payment of this equip- ment, are now in the United States Treasury and mature next August. The measure has received the indorsement of the American Motorists and other motoring and allied organizations. Many of the 19 Federal-aid appropri- ation bills now pending provide for special funds ranging from fifty to one hundred million dollars a year for the fiscal years of 1920, 1930 and 1931, to be expended on highway construction, in addition to the regular annual $75,000,000 Federal-aid highway author- ization. There are three flood relief bills, au- thorizing a total of $14,545,994 for re- pairing highways damaged in eight States by last year’s floods. They are: Oklahoma, New Hampshire, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Ken- tucky and Vermont. Of the total number of pending bills, 18 are for the construction of new highways between certain points, three of these being Lincoln Memorial High- ways, three for the construction of highways in Yellowstone Park and high- ways in the States of California, Oregon, Washington and Florida. Special assistance in the construction in_this branch of the business. Retail | of highways in States having a large sales, while following the seasonal trend, still reflect a strong cumumerl demand. of its recor Faeton, $845; Roadster Espanol, $845; Sedan Coche, $845; Cupe Busi- ness, $845; Sedan, $885; Cupe de Lujo, $885; Sedan de Lujo, $955. All prices at factory. percentage of public lands is provided for under the terms of 13 bills similar to the Colton-Oddie bill, authorizing Failure of States to Require Licenses Of All Motorists Limits Vision Tests Fallure of nearly two-thirds of the States to require licenses of all drivers of -motor vehicles blocks the Nation- wide adoption of vislon tests, called es- sential to safety on the highways, ac- cording to the Eyesight Conservation Council of America. Poor eyes are contributing to the growing number of automobile acci- dents, 25,000 of which had fatal results last year, declares the council in mak- ing public a report of a survey of the eyesight of motorists in the United States. Responding to a questionnaire, the motor vehicle officials in every State and territorial possession. and the police chiefs in 68 of the largest cities were unanimous in declaring that proof of proper vision should be officially de- manded of all drivers. “Before eyesight tests can be intro- duced in ali States, it is necessary for each State to require licenses of all drivers of motor vehicles,” says the re- port. “It is surprising that almost two- thirds of the States do not consider it necessary to demand some assurance that an operator is qualified to drive a motor vehicle. This is considered of sufficient importance to be provided by law in 17 States and the District of Columbia, and surely the laws of the remaining States should make the same provisions. “It is true that 19 States do realize the importance of licensing chauffeurs, but it is hard to understand why the law is confined to this small group of drivers. It might well be argued that chauffeurs are more capable than other drivers, because they are driving con- stantly and being selected for employ- ment are more likely to be more quali- fled. It is wise to determine that chauffeurs are qualified to drive, but even more important to pass upon the ability of the ordinary driver. “In the remaining 12 States, there is no statutory provision requiring auto drivers of any class to be licensed. Safety measures on the public high- ‘ways cannot be adequately enforced un- less drivers kmow that the privilege of driving may be taken from them. It is difficult for the State to remove a $3,500,000 annually to be spent in link- ing up the Federal-aid highway system in States having more than 5 per cent of public-owned land. ‘The construction of a Pan-American highway is provided for under the terms of eight bills, the ultimate object of which is the completion of a highway running from Canada, through Mexico, Central and South America. Eight bills are purely regulatory, dealing with in- terstate traffic, routes, highway signs, research and kindred phases of highway construction. privilege which has not been granted by license, and impossible to control and regulate unless the individual driver is licensed. “The first essential, therefore, is that all drivers of motor vehicles of all States should be granted licenses only upon sufficient propf that they are properly qualified to drive. The physi- cal qualifications are of obvious signif- fcance and an important requirement should be fairly good eyesight.” ‘The survey showed that a very small proportion of the drivers of motor ve- hicles in the United States are required to give evidence that they can see suf- ficlently well to enable them to operate a motor vehicle safely upon the public highways. “Satisfactory eyesight tests of all ap- plicants for drivers' licenses are being conducted as a necessary precaution- ary measure by the licensing bureaus of only six States, one territorial posses- sion and in the District of Columbia,” the report continues. “Two additional States, Delaware and Michigan, require that all applicants for licensés to drive motor vehicles for hire shall pass an eyesight test, but no provision is made for other operators. pecific mention is made concerning the testing of the eyesight of motor drivers in the laws of two other States, California and Pennsylvania, but ¥ practice the work appears to be very superficially administered. The inade- quacy of the tests and the limitation® of the requirements make the work of little, if any, practical value. “In the remaining 36 States, the eye- sight of motorists apparently is not considered of sufficlent importance to warrant the establishment of eyesight tests as a requirement for safe driv- ing. “Strange as it may seem, many of these States are thickly populated, and in them are situated many of the larg- est cities in the United States.” State and municipal traffic officials without exception, the survey discloses, believe that good evesight is an impor- tant requirement for safe driving. The public was also found to be friendly to the tests. “This unanimity of opinion,” the re- port asserts, “is the result of intimate experience with the complicated motor traffic problem. State commissioners of motor vehicles and city superin- tendents of police recognize that the eyenclht test is a necessary require- ment. “One official believes the time soon will come when aroused public senti- ment will demand such tests; another hopes that it will be possible to induce all States to adopt a program of eye- sight examination. Both of these com- ments come from officials in States where eyesight tests are being satis- factorily conducted.” PAVING IS URGED - FOR TURNPIKE GAP Delegation Asks Completion of Northwestern Highway Stretch in Maryland. Spectal Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, December 8.—Comple- tion of that portiom of the Northwestern Turnpike which passes through West- ern Maryland was urged this week by a delegation composed of 61 men from points in Western Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio and headed by John J. Cornwell, former Governor of West Virginia. The delegation confer- red with the Baltimore Association of Commerce and John N. Mackall, chair- man of the State roads commission, Mr. Cornwell explained that the Northwestern Turnpike was _started about 100 years ago. It runs, he said, from Winchester, Va. to Parkersburg. W. Va, traversing parts of four States. It was planned originally by Virginia, when West Virginia was included in that State, In order to make a direct highway from the eastern to the west- ern boundary of the Old Dominion and as a thoroughfare from the East to Ohio and the West. By its completion at this time, he said it would provide 8 new direct route to and from sections of the Middle West and Washington and Baltimore, and would eliminate dangerous mountain detours. Mr. Mackall, representing Gov Ritchle, assured the delegation that ef forts would be made to have the forti coming session of the Legislature pro- vide for the completion of the remainins unimproved portion next yea R. McReynolds & Son Studebaker SALES 1423-1425-1427 LSt N.W. Decatur 686 eserving d- breaking sSUcCCess | Value speaks more plainly and unmistak- ably in today’s motor car market than it has ever spoken in the past. There you can lay your finger directly on the main reason for the unprecedented, swift advance of the Chrysler-built De Soto Six to its present heights of popularity. Entirely aside from the fact of its Chrysler MAYFLOWER MOTORS, Ine. 2819 M Street N.W, Moncure Motor Co. Quantico, Va. Moreland Motor Co. Waldorf, Md, Assoclated Dealers Neumeyer Motor Co., Inc. 1825 14th St. N.W, Phone North 7522 Frederick, Md: Phone North 1104 Torrey Motor Co, 2108 L St. N.W, Roney Motor Co, origin, and on its own individual merits, the De Soto Six deserves every iota of the widespread preference which an eager public is conferring upon it. : ESo0T10 S1X PRODUCT of CHRXSLER B T,