Evening Star Newspaper, September 29, 1935, Page 73

Stage — Screen Autos — Radio Part 4—12 Pages GRn DEATH WASHINGTON, D. C, < Tragedy Reaches From Pas- senger Cars, Busses and Trucks 1o Snatch 36,000 Unwaryto Its Dark Bosom Yearly, With Mil- lion Others Left Maimed in Its. Grim and Horrible Wake. By Blai URTLING mechanical dragons of the highway —pleasure _cars, trucks, busses—today are the fa- vorite steeds of death. The scythe wielders of high- way doom are carelessness, reck- | lessness, speed and drunkenness. These four horsemen of the | mechanical age apocalypse will | injure during the next five years -1 of every 20 persons in the United States. = Crushed bones, mangled arms, amputated legs, lost lives—mil- lions of homes will suffer from traffic tragedy. - Life expectancy today averages above 50 years. A century ago it averaged about 30 years. Medicine has made rapid strides in combatting death from disease. The ravages of pesti- lence like the black death, chol- era and smallpox, which once left in their wake thousands of dead, have been practically elim- inated as factors in the mortality records. But a new menace has arisen since the turn of the century— a menace as likely to strike on crowded street corners as on lonely country roads, without warning and without mercy. In a Virginia burying ground lie the coffins of the eldest sons in seven succeeding generations of the Curtis family. The legends on the tombstones of the first six show they died of duelling wounds, of war injuries, of dysentery or fever. But the seventh declares: “Killed in an automobile acci- dent.” Duelling has its romance, war {ts glory, disease its inevitability, but hli way death or maiming s quick, horrible, cold and pre- ventable. And highway death or maim- ing, according to compilation by District Traffic Director Van Duzer, will reach every third per- son born in the United States if he or she lives 70 years. THIS horror story told in cold statistics is not a story with- out an end. Every traffic engi- neer, every doctor, every police officer, every coroner in the country is convinced the toll of human life and wholeness can be cut down by proper exercise of care, The driver gets the blame in the public d whenever an accident occurs, but again Mr. Van Duzer steps forward with the statement that in the traffic deaths recorded in the District in 1935 the pedestrian is at fault 49 fir cent of the time. e National Safety Council of Chicago presents the story of traffic tragedy in graphic fashion under a heading entitled “Death H A r Bolles. stalks the Nation’s highways.” The council remarks: “Motor vehicle accidents in 1934 caused 36,000 deaths, 105,000 permanent disabilities and 1,- 150,000 temporary disabilities. The total economic¢ loss to the Nation from these deaths and injuries, together with the prop- erty damage loss, amounted to $1,580,000,000. The national. death rate per 100,000 popula- tion was 28.1 and the rate per 10,000,000 gallons of gasoline consurgption was 23.2." The tale of traffic tragedy does not end after the day the newspaper tells in glaring head- lines and clipped detail of a hor- rible highway accident. A pedestrian’s careless misstep into a crowded traffic artery from between cars parked along the curb may well result in his being knocked senseless, if not dead, to the paving by a car moving carefully enough along the street. What happens? Perhaps a broken arm, which might be fol- lowed by a lost job. Poverty visits his home. His wife and children become victims of dire want. His future is wrecked, his prospects destroyed. Why? Be- cause of a moment’s carelessness. Death might ride with the reck- | less driver, but so often does luck. The blithe jaywalker, or the man afoot who dares his good fortune by disregarding red lights, is the person who holds out the per- manent invitation to highway destruction. J_ISTEN once more to the Na- tional Safety Council’s re- view of the danger that lurks on the Nation’s highways and by- ways: “Motor vehicles killed and in- jured more people in 1934 than in any previous year. The death total of 36,000 is 15 per cent above 1933, when there were 31,363 deaths, and 7 per cent higher than in 1931, which had the previous all-time high of 33,675 deaths. “The pulation death rate advanced every year from the beginning of motor vehicle trans- portation until 1932, when it dropped below the 1931 rate of 27.1. The rate for 1933 was also below 1931, but the 1934 rate of 285 sets a new_high. “Motor vehicle death rates, based on car registration, de- clined consistently until 1926, when the rate was 10.6 deaths for 10,000 cars. Every year since then, with the exception of 1932, it has shown an increase, cul- R in the 193¢ rate of That pedestrian care can end traffic tragedy is shown by the experience of two blind men in the District, who freely walk the | per streets. Raymond L. Hoyk of 111 Car- Upper left: Watch out for children! Especially now that school days are here again. Be sure your brakes are good. But don’t trust to them entirely. Play safe. Top center: If ablind man sat at the steering wheel and let a tiny dog lead the way he’d be no more stupid than the fellow who drives an ancient car in bad me- chanical condition. Upper right: Drivers of these two cars, speeding at intersec- tions, earned a brief visit to a hospital and then—ob- livion. Left center: An automobile going 60 miles an hour at night has the same death-dealing possi- bilities as if you drove your car off a skyscraper. roll street southeast, the grand- son of a member of Congress from Tennessee, now 41 years old and virtually sightless since early childhood, has only once been struck by an automobile. He freely says if at street in- tersections he followed the lead of those able to see clearly he would have been destroyed years ago. Watch the lights, cross onlf at corners, be sure the way is clear and then go ahead, advises Houk, who expects to live a long time and to return to Tennessee and run for Congress. John Davis, blind World War veteran, who from early morn- ing to late at night roams all over Northwest Washington with his faithful police dog Nancy for his eyes, has only once been struck by an automobile, and then not seriously injured. Davis and Houk must be care- ful. They know pedestrians must follow rules. And, as a consequence, each of them Is whole-skinned while thousands of their more gmysically favored brethren lie hospitals and graves because they did not exer- cise care. The chief types of motor ve- hicle accidents are these five: Collision by a car with a fixed object, such as a telegraph pole or wall; Collision between two vehicles; Collision by a car with a pe- destrian; Non-collision, such as skid- ding and overturning or being ahmwn by a soft highway shoul- er; Collision by a car with a train or street car. : 3 showed in- All these types creases in 1934. ‘“Pedestrians had the worst record, when viewed from the stand] t of their previous fa- ble trend,” the National s%!xe;y wu commenuanm , pedestrian stood at a t only 12 t above lflzd:mau Mr vehicle fnuu had increased 21 cent “In 1934, however, rdutrlm fatalities advanced 1 per cent | ha! FEATURES Che Sunday Shae from 1933, and now stand: 30 per cent above 1927.” AT factors rank high among the causes of highway acci- dents? The human equation in the situation revolves around the driver and the pedestrian. Of these the National Safety Coun- cil, which collects accident facts every day of the year from every available source, declares: “Pedestrians act unsafely un- der many circumstances—chil- dren play in the street, either because they do not know any better or because they have no other place to play; adults take foolish chances by crossing a street in midblock, or against the signal, or when intoxicated— with disastrous results. “The driver is' the most 1m- portant element in our traffic accident situation. Some driv- ers have accidents because they are actually defective in mind or body—they have bad eye- sight or are not strong enough to control a heavy vehicle, or their senses are duylled by alcohol or fatigue or carbon monoxide, or by any combination of these things. “A much greater number have accidents because they dosmot know how to drive. They have never learned proper methods of making turns, backing or sig- naling; they do not observe right- of-way rules, stop signs or traf- fic signals, to say nothing of their obligation toward pedes- trians. “The greatest number of driv- ers who g:‘v& accidents, hod:- ever, are er hzllull - fective nor lgnprgn of t{‘amn rules. They don’t really want A o they mtly want n ve one., They take chances [ by going too fast; they 'pass other cars on hills and curves; they cross railroad tracks with- out looking; they do not slow down at intersections; they ex- pect other drivers and pedes- trians to get out of their way.” There are many inanimate contributors to highway tragedy which to some extent overcome whatever care the motorist and the pedestrian might exercise. These silent aids of destruction include winding: highways, nar- row roads, signals and signs that are not standard, glaring head- n%hu, defective brakes. But while these are potential causes of despair and destruction, there is this to remember: “The careful, skillful driver can generally avoid accidents, even if his vehicle is somewhat defective. He rarely has an ac- cident, even on a defective drive.” e Disease strikes from unknown uarters. Pestilence "is among the unavoidable agencies of life. But death beneath the rubber- tired dragons that roll like jug- gernauts along our busy city streets and across the broad or tortuous roads that cut the countryside is unnatural and remedial. THAT is why The Star is con- ducting its campaign to drive death from the streets, particularly of Washington and generally of the whole country. That is why The Star Safety Council has drawn up 12 inviola- ble rules of the road to be.ob- served by every man or woman who sits behind the wheel of an SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 29, 1935. Center: The odds are 10 to 1! On an average year- ly basis 10 persons are killed in automobile acci- dents for every one killed accidentally by firearms. Right center: The night motorist who drove this car didn’t live to describe the accident. He didn't bother to stop at a highway stop sign. Lower center: Always the spectral hand of death stretches toward you if you whizz around a curve like this with un- derinflated tires. The mor- al is: Keep those tires “up” and take curves eas- ily. Stay within those white lines and slow down when you see them. All photos courtesy Trav- elers’ Life Insurance Co. brought to thousands the tragic stories of the wake of automo- bile acidents#and interviews which seek to point out the reme- dies for this horror, which at any minute may make itself felt in any home in the Nation’s Capital. The Star’s safety pledge is a driver’s pledge, but the pedes- trian has an obligation as well. Here is how the National Safety Council computes the reasons behind pedestrian death: “In cities over 50,000, 42 per cent of the 1934 pedestrian deaths in motor vehicle acci- dents occurred while a pedes- trian was crossing the street at an intersection. “In 27 per cent of the cases there was no traffic signal, while in 10 per cent of the cases there was a signal, which the pedes- trian was violating at the time of the accident. “Another 37 per cent of the pedestrian fatalities occurred while the person struck was crossing the street not at an intersection. . “Less important circumstances were ‘hitching on vehicle,” ‘play- ing in roadway’ and ‘getting on or off other vehicles.’ . “In State-wide reports, ‘walk- ing in the roadway’ stands out prominently, 18 per cent of the pedestrian deaths occurring der such circumstances. “Crossing not at an intersec- tion accounted for 42 per cent of the pedestrian deatl in the State totals, which was exactly the same percentage as ‘cross- ing at intersection’ cases in cities over 50,000 population. un- “That - the person on foot | ped should be especially cautious in using any street or highway is indicated by the fact that there were 16,200 pedestrian fatalities in 1934 out of the total of 36,000 motor vehicle deaths. In cities over 10,000, pedestrian deaths accounted for 8,650 of the total death toll of 12,000.” 'WHERE lies the remedy to out- ~"7- wit this demon of the me- chanical age? The general con- 4 Ch'ildren’s Page Books—Music clusion of the National Safety Council is: “First, we must improve our highways and keep our vehicles in good condition. “Second, and more important, we much teach drivers and pe- destrians to realize the accident possibilities of their actions on streets and highways.” Teaching drivers and pedes- trians care is the great problem. Every living person feels he trav- els with Lady Luck. “Oh, nothing will happen to me,” is the old, old refrain that is sung and repeated until in one flashing, blindi moment comes dragon accident that brings destruction or injury. The gruesome picture of blood, heads crushed, torsoes mangled, weak wrecks of human beings spitting their teeth through dirt- filled mouths onto the highway has been pictured in other places. It is a description of a nauseating end that should make everybody stog and think —for everybody in this modern age, whether he lives in the rush of a metropolis or a mountain fastness, is a possible victim of traffic tragedy. Day in and day out in a thou- sand traffic courts in a thousand cities a big parade of violators of traffic rules passes judges who mete out fines and prison terms. But again those who have not had to face the bar of traffic jus- tice say: “Oh, well, they haven’t caught me yet. I'll take this chance.” Taking a chance in traffic is keeping open house for death. Luck sometimes beats death to the wire—but not always. Take no chances, be courteous, and remember, the car you drive is a ready ally of destruction— those points imprinted on the minds of every motorist in the United States will, to a great ex- tent, foil the black shadow of doom which hovers over every car ‘in the mass of machines which pack the roadways of America. Drinking before or while driv- ing is disastrous. Here is care- lessness and negligence carried to the nth degree. “City and State reports of 1934 fatal motor vehicle accidents classify about 6 per cent of the drivers and 7 or 8 per cent of the estrians as ‘intoxicated’ or ‘had been drinking.’ These rep- resent sizable increases over 1933, when the percentages were reported as about 5 for drivers and 6 for pedestrians,” re the National Safety Counci “In contrast with these low percenug:l found in the official re] . H. A. Heise analyzed 119 automobile accidents in and around Uniontown, Pa., and 60 per cent as ‘alcohol accidents.” “The variation between the TRIUMPHANTLY RIDES THE HIGHWAYS [, 2 oCareful Analysis of Human W eakness, W hich Opens Doors to Destruction, Encourages Hope That Race Can Be Taught to Travel Safely in Spite of Its Present Record of Disaster. high percentage of ‘alcohol ac- cidents’ found in this small but thorough research study and in the official reports is so great as to indicate the vital importance of improving accident investi- gation so that the influence of the ‘had-been-drinking’ driver or pedestrian can be more ac- curately determined.” But even that low 6 per cent would account for 2,160 deaths, 2,160 tombstones over coffins which might not have been filled by their present occupants for years. The highway today is a lane of death, the hide-out of de- struction, but courageous men and women have not lost hope that it can be recaptured for the safe and pleasant use of mankind. T S R Saw Fly Worries. 'HERE seems no end to the enemies of the American,agriculturist. A new pest is making rapid headway |in New England. The European saw fly, a highiy destructive enemy of the spruce, and particularly the white spruce, is causing real concern among entomologists. The fly was first discovered in Maine aboue five years ago, having come across from Canada, where it has been playing havoc for years. Airplane dusting with arsenate would end the trouble, but the cost, of course, is prohibitive. The best metkiod of control, at least the most practicable, appears to be through recourse to the natural enee mies of the fly. Several colonies of a parasite which seems to Lold the fly in check in Europe have been turned loose in Maine in the hope that they prove to be a preventative which will halt what appears to be a serious prog= ress toward destruction. Gu;de fo ReaJers PART FOUR Page John Clagett Proctor writes s of the Early History of ‘Washington’s Schools.__F-2 Britain Controls the Cross- Roads to War “Those Were the How Uncle Sam’s Track Down Stage and Screen. Automobiles Children’s Pag: High Lights of History...F-11 b