The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-16
TAKING CHANGES AT GRADE CROSSINGS IS PERIL OUS BUSINESS
New Haven Road Inaugur ates Safety First Campaign
 Throughout System

With the object of securing the CO., operation Of motorists and driver of
 horse drawn vehicles, the New Ha-
 campaign to minimize accidents at grade crossings.
 This campaign has been discussed
 and worked out at staff meeting of
 the Operating department. Investi-
 gations have already been made at several important grade crossings, and
 many individual drivers have been
 written to requesting their co-opera-
 ton.
 The principal cause of the major
 ity of accidents at grade crossings is the. taking of chances. Experts on the subject of accident prevention long ago reached the conviction that no matter how many laws might be
 passed or how many safety devices installed there could never be a suc-
 cessful reduction, in accidents until l there had been enlisted the cooper
 alton of those persons in whose in- terest the precautions were being talk
 en- This applies to grade crossing
 accidents well as to the large class of industrial accidents.
 As a result of the Investigations so far made by the New Haven road
 numerous letters have been written to owners of automobiles calling att
 tention to the care1essness of drivers when crossing the railway tracks at
 certain crossings. The majority of
 these letters disclose that the driv-
 CTS did not slow, down when approach ing Q crossing, and that they drove over the crossing at a high rate of
 speed. I
 Many of the letters, however, dis
 close extreme degrees of carelessness
 One driver approached the grade
 crossing at North Abingdon, Mass, and came to stop within about six
 inches of the gates, which were down.
 It was suggested to the owner of this car that this was hardly sufficient | clearance, as a slight failure of the
 brakes on the machine might result in collision with the gates. if not a more serious collision with the train.
 Another driver approached the crossing at Whitman, Mass, at a rap i'd rate of speed and upon perceiving that the gates were being lowered put on more speed in an endeavor to cross
 over before the approaching train Finding that he would be unable to do this, he was forced to swing his machine into the freight yard in or der to avoid a collision. A driver of a
 motor truck was unable to stop at the crossing gates at Quincy Adams and his truck col1ided with the gates Many cases were reported of ma chimes passing over crossings in dis regard to the signal displayed by the flagman and despite the warning from | the engine as tIfe train was leaving a station.
 A driver Of a machine passed the
 grade crossing at Scituate with hard 1 ly a foot clearance between the ma chine and the train that had just stopped. Had the engineer of the train released his brakes and the l train slacked back the machine would certainly have been hit In the let ter to the owner of this machine it
 was suggested that such a close mar
 gin is also dangerous to aughting passengers at the rear of a tram. Still another driver of a machine l came to dead stop on highway
 crossing at A1lerton, three minutes be- fore train was due to arrive. The
 driver stopped in order to make sew era1 inquiries.
 A large number of cases have been
 reported of drivers passing crossings
 without making any observations whatever as to whether a train was coming or not. Some of these drfv- CTS were engaged in conversing with passengers in the machine, others waving to passersby, while one driv- CT was putting on his gloves and con sequently did not have his hands on the wheel or brakes of the machine. In the letters that have been sent l out to owners of cars it is pointed out | if the speed of the machine is reduc- | ed and observations made in both di- | rectiOns to make sure the way is clear l grade crossing accidents will be mini | n1ized- The company requests that all visible and audible warnings be heed
 ed.