The Washington times., 1913-08-02
PEDESTRIANS CAUSE
MANY ACCIDENTS
Police Find That Many Bad
Results of Collisions Could
Be Easily Avoided.
BY HARRY WARD.

by hAHR1 "ARD.
Traffic police of long experience in
many Of the large cities of the country
state that a large percentage of ac-
cidents attributed to motor cars are
not the fault either of the automobile
|or of the driver.
They say not only are many accidents
caused by horse vehicles, street cars
and other forms of wheel equipages,
hut that If the public would exercise
q little more caution and if children
were taught TO keep out of the road
way the number of street accidents
would be much diminished.
In many cases pedestrians seem deaf,
dumb, and blind. In the language OF
The traffic police, they go to sleep
In the center of the street. The roller
skate is responsible for more accidents
TO children than is the motor car;
Children's bicScIes, operated by small!
boys and girls of four TO six years OF
age, possibly come next.
Traffic reeulations against motor cars
and other vehicles are rigidly enforced
yet the same traffic regulations are TO-
tally disregarded by pedestrians.
A weu-known automobile dealer OF
mis- citv, commenting on the statement
of the traffic police, asserts that motor
cars are under such perfect control at
almost all times that given half a
chaHce the driver can readliy stop ms
machine in a short distance. In nearly
AN automobiles of recent vintage the
nower of the brskes is sufficient to
nuII the car to a dead stop within a
NV Set. Should a person spring di-
rectly in front of the machine almost
pnder the wheels, there is seldom
trouble in avoiding Iaishaps.
II sidewalk traffic was as tsrictly reg
rT- fr1f If
pedestrfans were fined for violating the
traffic regulations. as is done with We
hicle drivers, a great mauy accidents
Weuld be avoided, in the opinion OF
many automobile drivers. A person
rho is supposed to use the sidewalk
ana to cross the streets at the proper
trossing, under direction of the traffic
ofsicer, has no more right to disregard
such laws than mas the driver of an
automobile or any other vehicle, say
those who have made close study OF
the subject.
The Commercial Automobile and Sup
NV Company reports the sale OF Stude-
baker .35" touring car to George z.
Burns.
Things are moving at a lively pace in
the automobile trade these days. The
most important announcement made
this week was that the Ford 1Motor
Company, represented in Washington by
Miller Brothers, had made material re-
ductions in the prices of its cars. Here
after the touring cars. which sold Tor
500, will sell at $3.50; the runabout has
been reduced from S525 to $500. and the
town car from $500 to 500. II is an IN
teresting fact that the Ford company
made and sold this year 1870 cars, and
under the new price scaleSiand with ad-
ditional factory facilities, this produc-
tion VIII be nearly doubled during the
1914 season.
Joseph B. Trew. sales manager Of the
Overland Washington Motor Company,
left today for Colonial Beach, where hs
VIII spend several days. Some time next
week an Overland car will be shipped
to him, in which he will make record
run from Colonial Beach TO Ocean View.
The engineer test car from the Cole
Motor Car Company, sIRsianepolis,
poked its big cylinder Pose sdilfo San,
Francisco on July &, few hours after
the arrival of the Indiana automobile
Manufacturer tour, although the Cole
party had left Indianapolis ten days
after the main tour and did not try for
q record run across the continent, The
Cole did not start out on July, with the
tour, because the Cole factory produc-
ton was oversoid and a 1914 Cole was
not available. Chief Engineer Charles
s. Crawford, of the Cole company. at
the urgent request of the Pacific Motor
Car Company, Cole San Francisco dis
triDuter, decided at Tonopah to make
San Francisco the same day as ! the he
Although the Cole party left Indian.
apolis the afternoon of July Il. delayed
one-half day in Chicago, IA fdlf day 4na
the Colorado mountains ,;testtags and
we're marooned on the great Arnersean1
desert for sixty hours by a cfoudburst
they made the transcontinental frun
easily
The Cole party took the transconti-
mental route from Chicago across Hi
nois. iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, into
Salt Lake City, where they picked up
the Hoosier tour trail and came West.
Their trip proves conclusiYely that any
person, barring weather conditions, can
make the transcontinental voyage a real
pleasure. While the party had rain
every day since they left Omaha ex-1
able" said Engineer Crawford, except
on the great American desert and in
crossing from Tonopah to Lake Tahoe"
The Cole did not travel after dark. the
running time being from sunrise TO sun
set and the speed average at no time
over twenty-five miles an hour. !
They reported excellent road condl-
tions. with improvements being made
Ia places where needed, or else money
having been appropriated to make
changes. The trip, besides proving
pleasant vacation venture, from tho
touring standpoint, win
be highly beneficial to the Cole Motor
Car Company in the manufacture of
tSeir product The engineer car was
given a severe grueling in ali the tests
which Engineer Crawford and Head
Tester Lew Pettijohn subjected her 10. I
The car was made 20 meet conditions, |
and the rains were just as II Engineer
Crawford had ordered them for his
tests. On their return TO Indianapolis !
, conference Of the engineers on the |
Coles standardized roll of honor will
be called in Indianapolis, so that all
will be made thoroughly conversant
with the knowledge gained by Coles !
chief engineer on his trsnscontinental !
Voyage.
Coincident with the winning Of the |
anderson cup and the Minneapolis !
News cup by two Hupmobiles in the /