The Washington herald., 1913-11-27
Street Dangers.

Casualties from automobile accident!
upon the streets seem again within th'
last few days to have assumed the fire.
quency which several months ago leC
The Washington Herald to sound {
warning to both motorists and pedes'
trians. The number of street accidents
some of them fatal, which form a con.
siderable part of the police report eaci
day, show that present conditions of
traffic ought to be corrected at any
expense of money and patience.
That both those who ride in chaises
and those who walk have privileges as
to right of way which are matched by
equal duties and responsibilities is, OF
course, an acknowledged fact. But. de-
spite the extended and almost constant
publicity given to the rules of traffic
by. which those privileges and duties
and responsibilities are readily deter
mined, it seems that a campaign of ed
ucation is needed to inform the people
afOot and the people on wheels what
they respectively ought to do in main
tanning easy passage through the streets
for themselves, while at the same time
not imposing upon the other party too
large share of the task of avoidance
of collision. The endeavors of civic
organizations to teach the people seem
not to have accomplished the desired
object i'll as yet an appreciable degree,
and it appears that only a strictly Of
fetal campaign. in which penalties un-
der the law may be utilized as cor
rectiveS. will suffice to teach the people
of the District what their rights and
wrongs on thoroughfares are.
The principal trouble at present is
fault that is nearly general among
the people OF the United States. a per-
haps subconsciOuS belief that our laws
are very good laws indeed, and ought
to =be obeyed by the other fellow very
cohscientiouSly, while we ourselves are
quite intelligent enough to know the
exceptional times when we can violate
them. The traffic regulations specify
the conduct OF vehicles; what shall be
their speed upon what sides of the
streets they shall be operated; in what
directions around circles and isles OF
safety; at what crossings their passage
shall be directed by traffic policemen;
what position in relation TO other We
hides, including street cars, shall
be- maintained. But the man who
thinks he knows when to violate the
lave diSregards these when it is incon-
venient. To save few seconds he
dashes past a standing street car, he
takes the wrong side OF the street, goes
around circle in the wrong direction,
or exceeds a speed limit. 1t is these
reckless acts that contribute to the in
JurieS of careful pedestrians. When to
reckleSsness of the operator of a We
hicle is added the recklessness of a
pedestrian, the result is fated-and gen.
orally fatal
For the pedestrians are often care
les, too. They know that they should
not cross streets anywhere except the
corners, but they take chance" They
are willing TO trust to their nimble-
ness or to sheer luck to get them
through what TO them is no thorough
fare" These pedestrians, guilty of
contributory negligence, are quite as
responsible-and should so be held TN
der the law-as the driver of a motor,
a horse, or d street car.
Perhaps the use of ropes along the
sidewalks of the most frequented thor
odghfares until the people become ac-
crfstomed to using only legitimate
street crossings, would best serve to
educate the pedestrians For the op-
orator of vehicle the enforcement of
the present regulations through a sys-
tenn admitting no exceptional cases is
all that can be asked or hoped for.