Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-01-12
FRIDAY, JANUARY IL, 1912.
Increasing Dangers in Our Streets
From Brooklyn Eagle.


According to the concurrent reports
of the Public Service Commission and
the National Highways Protective AS
ISOLATION, there was notable increase
last year in the number of deaths and
serious injuries from vehicles in the
city streets, and also in the number
of fatalities at grade crossings of rail-
roads.
There were 423 persons killed by We
hicles in the streets, an increase of 10
per cent. over the previous years, while
1904 persons were injured by vehicles,
an increase of "a such accidents. Prob
ably the percentage of increase in ac-
cidents has not kept pace with the
percentage of growth in the use of
automobiles and the crowding of the
streets which such growth creates.
But the very fact that every man hav-
ing $4,000 year will presently own
his automobile, and the rapid increase
in the hire of these vehicles by pretty
much everybody who can raise the
price of single ride emphasizes the
need of careful regulation to reduce
the accidents from their use to the
lowest possible terms. The association
which makes this report of accidents
claims, through its secretary, that the
action. of the Appellate Division, in
holding unconstitutional, the recent
statute requiring a driver to stop and
give his name after an accident, has
made it difficult to hold drivers to
responsibility for their carelessness,
and that in fact sixty chauffeurs have
run away after hitting people during
the past year.
This is a matter which it should be
possible to deal with under the law.
The police power to protect life and
health must be broad enough to regu-
late the use of vehicles which are only
used at all by license from the civil
authority. If one law has failed to
provide for that regulation in consti-
tutional terms another law should be
drawn more skillfully to effect the
same purpose, and if one court has
failed to interpret the Constitution
correctly, other courts should be given
the opportunity to construe the new
statute.
But it is to be noted that of the 423
deaths from vehicles, only one-third-
142-were caused by automobiles. The
trolley car and the truck are quite as
deadly as they ever were, and thew
seem to be even more dangerous to
children than the automobiles are. OF
the 1873 children killed in the streets.
"a We're by motor cars, SO by troleys
and SO by wagons. If any method
can be found to make the truck drivers
and the children more careful it will be
eager y welcomed
LAS to grade crossings, 80 persons
were killed on them and 20 injured
during the year. almost double the
numbers in the previous year. Those
figures support the demand of Chair
'hNii w ilSOA VI lHe IuDHc service
Commission that the State appropriate
81, OOO,O 900, at the coming legislative
session for the elimination of grade
crossings in this city. That work has
gone steadily on in recent years, but
if, with the reduction of crossings, the
number of accidents increases. owing
to the increased use of the highways.
then the elimination should be pushed
more rapidly still. The protection of
life and limb is one of the fundamental
duties of government.
The above article is good as far as it
goes and timely, but it falls far short of
the necessities of the case. Complete
statistics should be collected in every