The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-01-08
SAFETY ON THE STREETS.


There is no doubt but that there is
| altogether too much recklcssness in
| automobile driving. not alone in Salt
Lake, bat generally throughout tho
country. The police, who might well
be charged with the safety of the peo-
plo from reckless automobile driving,
appear to view that rccElessness with
| uncouccrn and to allow the freedom
Of the streets TO swift running auto
mobiles TO the peril Of pedestrians.
Salt Lake City has had a good many
severe lessons on tho peril of reckless
automobile driving. and even in the
peril of automobile driving thar can
hardly be called reckless. The lesson
of it all is, that extreme care should
be used throughout by those who drive
automobiles, and that the measure OF
prccaulion should not deyolvc upon
pedestrians alone.
In view Of the general peril from
automobiles, there has been organized
in Massachusetts a "bighway safety
league with eminent citizens Of that
State as the prime movers, The rca-
son for the organization OF this league
was the peril from reckless automobile
driving, and the lcnity with which
Judges have treated those chauffeurs
who have manned or killed persons
through their reckless driving. The
organization has had under discus.
sion methods Of suppressing reckless
ness on the highways. and 1t is stated
that 'Fmany felt that the Judges had
not been as severe as they might have
been, and some expressed themselves
in no uncertain way on This point, as
narrated by the Boston Journal Mr.
Moorfeld Storey is chairman Of the
organization, in speaking of it and
its aims, he said:
Tho highway safety league starts out
auSpiciousy with a membership OF a lit
lie over 200 and | am reliably informed
that this number win be considerably in
creased before the next meeting. AT the
outset 1 believe we have a larger ,nem-
bcrShip than the safe roads automobile
association. which numbers around 100
Accidents are Increasing, according 10 the
figures given out, and Whilo they may not
be increasing in the same ratio as the
machines themselves, there is none the
less serious menace in the fact that
the limited number of individuals in
volved arc Of the essentially reckless or
ioy-UldcT type
IT is a strange but nevertheless true
fact that the standard Of care demanded
on the part OF the pedestrian Is very
high In comparison to that of the driver
of an automobile. When the driver OF
a car has blown his horn in warning OF
approach, IL is assumed that tho road
oh fslF4
to care taken must necessarily fall upon
the pedestrian This is an attitude that
needs immediate correction.
Let me illustrate how the situation
stnnds at the present moment When n
person comes 60 railroad crossing he
is cXpcctcd to look to the right and the
left before crossing. and even whore he
is careless and death results, a big cor
poratiOn is taken 10 task the State be-
comes active and VIC now have millions
being spent in the elimination of grade
crossings all over the state.
l ask YOU seriously, are not those
crosSWall;S the grade crossings or road
locomotives? And y"t the supcrlativc de-
gree OF caro- must he shown 10y the pc
dcstrian i'm every Instance before Il lack
Of care becomes at all plain on tho part
OF the driver of the road LOCOMOTIVES.
Further discussing the same qucs.
tion, former Attorney Pillsbury of
Massachusetts called attention TO the
need of moro rigid enforcement Of
the Jail penalty, saying:
We are hcre TO fight and fight hard.
Moral sulsiou has been tried by other or
g4ui2ations and has failed. IT is now time
To do something and do IL effectively.
Imprisonment for these obvious cases OF
recklessness and JOY riding VIII put an
end 60 this sort of work quicker than
anything else. Excessive speed under
the given conditions rs the cause OF 90
,,ttt of Hf.II hat .II-
these DAYS despite the denial OF the au-
losts and the authorities. Every auto
mobile should be run at such a speed
llial an accident cannot occur. That
speed viii vary. of course. with the con-
ditions and place OF driving. The fact
that 4 morc severe punishment has not
been mctcd out where many would have
normally expected II places the rcspon
s'bility in many cases upon the judge
himself.
Commenting upon the organization
of this highway safety league, the
Springfield Republican has the follow
ing editorial expression;
Il viii pay tie average man TO read
what Muorlcld storey and cN-Attoncy-
General pilshury say about The reasons
which have led TO tho formation in gos
ton pf the highway safety league. as
given on this page. II Is familiar
story that the automobile has como to
hc too much regarded as supreme upon
tho public highways. Tho rights Of pc
dcstlians are being altogether too much
overlooked. II has come about that pc
dcstrians are expected 10 do all the
lodging. 1t ought 10 be the rule every
where that automobiles should give pas
sengerS To and from tho street cars fun
right OF way. But I'm Springfield and
many other places the danger of taking
and leaving trolley car Is great and
constant. The drivers Of most automo-
bles respect neither age nor youth. and
speed by waiting cars with a dangerous
disregard FOR thosc on foot. We have
not begun as yet to properly regulate the