Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-12
Reckless Driving and Reckless Parents.


As one who has children, and also drives, /
| desire to say a few words on the above topic.
can testify, from my own experience, az to
| the recklessness OF drivers on our streets, for
time and again have nearly been run over In
spite of all the care 1 could exercise. Only a
few days since, at the corner of9th and streets,
| colored driver wheeled his horse right around
| upon me, although he saw me as plain as day.
and when tried to get out of his way he de-
liberately swung the horse still further around,
apparently with the determination of running
over me. When / spoke to him about it he
merely gave the horse cut. and grinned at me
as though he thought it good joke and such
things have occurred many times. OF course
there was no policeman in sight, and before one
could be found the vehicle was around the cor
ner and out of sight. Such scOundreS ought
TO be punished severely.
On the other hand, there is not another city in
fhe country In which people, and especially
children, are SO reckless in the streets as here.
Our wide smooth streets induce people to cross
at all points and In all directions. so that it is
almost impossible TO drive along the avenues es-
pecially, without constantly pulling up and
turning first one way and then the other; to
prevent running over people. little care on
the part of pedestrians would save much trouble
in that respect.
But the worst of all is the carelessness and
daring of children in our streets. Within the
past three weeks some four or five have been
killed or MANNED for life by the cars or other
vehicles. In every case, so far as have been
able to ascertain, these accidents have been
caused by the criminal recklessness of the chill
dren themselves, and for ,clich their parents are
to blame.
Take the case Of the six year old boy whose
leg was torn off by catching in the wheel OF the
buggy at the Soldiers Home short time since.
In the first place. what is child of that age do
rnH mn m In hoo
Ond place. II he had been properly trained at
home he would not have been hanging on the
carriage, as we see hundreds of them both girls
and boys, big and small. doing all over the city
every day. 1t makes me shudder every day to
see the reckessness of children in this respect,
especially those with roller skates, who hang
onto every wagon they can reach, two and three
abreast often. A slight misstep, little slip of
the rollers, and the foot catches between the
spokes. and of course the leg is broken, if the
child is not killed outright. 1t is astonishing
that the drivers and police do not try to stop it,
but they never do.
Then, again. know of no city in which chill
dren purpOsely run such risks as here / find
In driving about, especially in the outskirts,
that 1t is common and favorite practice for
Children TO deliberately stand in the roadway
until the horse almost touches them and then
Jump back with a yell that not unfrequently
frightens the animal. Another very common
practice is to stand BY the road side and as the
vehicle passes. throw stick, an old tin can. or
similar articles at the horse or into the wheels
Time and again have witnessed this, especially
In the northern part of the city.
Another very dangerous habit is that of hang
Ing onto the street cars, and which seems to be
almost universal. / ride over the route where
the boy Helen was hurt few days since, every
day, and / can scarcely recall an instance in
which there is not from one to half dozen
small boys at this point who jump on and off the
cars when in motion. A few DAYS since while
passing along that square, 1 saw a small boy
Just about his age. deliberately throw stone at
the car in which there were several passengers
besides myself, and then run away yelling and
whOopng like an Indian.
so, too. at the intersection of the routes-es-
pecially at 9th and F streets, where the passage
between the track and curb is very narrOw-the
boys. generally newsbOys. hanging on the cars
are perfect nuisance. One cannot get in or
out without pushing them out of the way. 1t
Is wonder more are not run over or hurt there
There stands the ticket agent, and considerable
OF the time policeman, and / never vet saw
either OF them make the slightest effort to stop
them, or make them keep out of the way either
Of danger or Of the passengers.
All this Is the fault Of the parents. If chill
dren are properly trained at home. and taught
the danger of such practices, as they should be.
they would seldom If ever, run such risks.
not only keep horse. but l have several chill
dren, and know whereof ! affirm. Ny chill
dfeh neither hang on the cars or on wagons and
l know that children can be taught not to do it
II parents will only make the proper effort. If
any Of'my children are caught doing it the dri-
yer is at liberty to give them a good smart
tingling with the whip, and will not complain
of him either. A CITIZEN.