The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-30
IBLAME FOR ACCIDENT
Is WITH PEDESTRIAN
So Declares Chief Examiner Of
New York State Auto
mobile Bureau.
LAW is ALL ONE SIDED
Should Apply Strictly to the
Man in the Street, Too,
lie Says.
LAW is ALL ONE SIDEI

The blame for most automobile acci-
dents lies with the pedestrian. in the
opinion Of George Strobridge. chief exam
liner for the automobile bureau Of the Sec
Rotary OF state. according to statements
made yesterday by him in a lecture at
the automobile school OF the West Side
Y. NJ. c. A. ''Is not the attitude OF the
public toward the automobile one of alb
solute defiance and carelessness?" he said.
II challenge any motor car driver TO say
me nay when I claim that a person to-
day walking seems to invite accident and
as they cross the street In front of your
machine their very movements seem to
say Run over me II you dare This
OF course is due to the constant blame
put upon the drivers. for the chauffeur
seldom receives the benefit OF the doubt.
ION the sidewalks we And people who
suddenly stop. turn and dodge here and
there, treading on each others toes. bump
Ing into each other with no regard as
a general rule for those they come in
contact with. Then watch the conduct
OF vehicular traffic and you will see the
skill with which the vehicles are jockeyed
about and how they give and take and
pass closely without injury to one an
other. Cudgei your brains and imagine
what would happen II the automo6iles
were driven as the people walk. Does
this not give you some new sensation?
Does II not lead you to believe that per-
haps pedestrians ore careless"'
Referring to the fact that the opera
tor OF AN automobile Is bound 10 obey
many provisions OF the law. Mr.. Stro-
bridge said he considered II only fair that
pedestrians also should have some super
vision. suppose the average citizen OF
this city crosses an avenue or side streets
twenty times each day" he said. AN
automobile driven Twenty-Five miles In the
city will cross pedestrian routes 800 times,
more or less. Why should not the pedes-
TRAN be careful during those twenty times.
when the automobiles are by law EN-
forced 20 exercise all possible precsu-
lions 500 times. For one accident that
happens ten thousand are avoided: not
one in ten thus avoided is through the
assistance or the cooperation OF the pedes-
TRAN.
"Autoists. II can be said safely. never
purposeiy cause mishaps. both their hands
both their feet, together with their eyes
and esrs are continuously at work to avoid
trouble. \ pedestrian IN crossing the
street by the use of his eyes and one
stride can avoid In every case being
struck. IL IL not fair that some legisla-
ton should lie made. us is In vogue In
foreign cities. which will govern the
pedestrian AS we'll as the CHAUFFEUR
lnti' are BIN A.'t ieT
Vanderbilt Cup and Grand Prize races
thus far. three MERGERS, two Stutzes and n
Delage. The Mercer factory has entered
TWO Of this make. with Wishart and Pulen
the drivers. The third Mercer Is entered
by ~. X Bentel. the Los Angeles agent.
and Barney Oldiield IN up. The Stutzes
are 10 be driven by Carl Cooper and GIL
Anderson respectively. The Delage has
Omar loft for pilot. u IL the entry of
Mrs. l.. *. Sortham, who has had herself
Incorporated 80 az to DE able to enter
according 10 \. 4. \. rules. It il said
that l.. j. SchroedeTs PeugeOt Is on the
way west and that Ralph milford will
drive. Ralph DE Palma's intentions still
ar. unknown.
T'he distance of the Vanderbilt has been
set at 294o35 miles. and the Grand
Prize "a, io3.aiS miles, thirty-iive and
forty-eght laps respectively OF the course
Al Santa Monica.
The Packard Motor Car Company IS
holding "a special exhibit OF enclosed bodies
for brief time only at It's New York
showroom. 1851 Broadway These bodies.
all Tor tho standard Packard o-3s
chassis. comprise In addition to fifteen
Packard built bodies others by Kelner
and by Labouruette OF Paris and by
prominent American builders. Some Of
the ideas Incorporated are distinctly new
The effects obtained by the use of special
upholstery are said IL be different from
anything heretofore shown.