Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-09-29
MISHbPS prove
AUTOISTS MUST
HEED WARNINGS
Pedestrians, Too, Should Heed
Advice of Police, Auto Club
and Newspapers

Numerous automobile accidents
within the past week have repeatedly
pointed out the lesson that unless mo-
torists and pedestrians heed the warn
ings that are presented to them
Through the medium of the police de-
partment, the automobile club, the
garages and the newspapers, as well
as the hundreds of signs that are post
ed throughout the island, serious &C
cidents resulting in injury or death,
are bound to occur.
Several days ago newsboy jumped
on a Waikiki street car at the corner
of Bishop and King streets. Hallway
down the block he hoped off the left
side of the car. An automobile which
was following the car at slow rate
Of speed, hit the boy and fling him
screaming across the pavement The
lad was picked up and rushed to the
emergency hospital. Luckily he was
not seriously injured.
The accident was witnessed by a
large crowd of business people going
to the beach and to their homes, and
a large procession of autos was held
up, while the injured lad was taken
to ti.S hospital. 1t was interesting to
note that everyone of those motorists,
when given the signal to proceed,
started off very slowly hardly increas.
ing their speed until they were well
on their way to the beach.
Boy at Fault
The boy was at fault in this acct
dent. In the first place. he jumped
on the street car, and in the second
place he jumped off while the car
was moving. Furthermore, he jumped
off the wrong side of the car.
There is nothing to prevent a per-
son from getting off the left side Of
a street car, and in fact, the practise
is very general. Passengers are
allowed to alight from either side of
a trolley, but this practise is permit
ted in few other cities. On many troll
ley cars, there is bar, or gate, on the
left side of the car to prevent passen-
gers from getting off on that side If
permitted to aIight from the right side
only autos could pass by the let side
of standing street car.
Had the newsboy jumped off the
right side of the car there would have
been no auto following close enough
to strike him.
Another Accident
The accident at Waikakailua Gulch,
when the soldiers in a large touring
car were struck by freight train, was
avoidable.
According to the stories told, the
soldiers approached the railroad cross
ing and saw the signal lights flash
their warning of the approaching
train. The engineer saw the head
lights of the machine and blew the
whistle. The soldiers slowed down to
let the train pass, then shot ahead,
deciding they could get across the
tracks in time
The cow-catcher of the locomotive
caught the rear wheel of the machine
and hurled it across the road. The
tonneau was torn clear of the frame
and smashed to splinters. How the
men escaped death is mystery. They
we're taken to the hospital at Scho-
field.
The railroad company has gone to
the expense of cutting away the bank
at the particular crossing and install
ing a modern electric signal system
and If motorists would heed the warn
ing of flashing lights and ringing bells,
there would be no such accidents.
while probably IS per cent of all
accidents are due to carelessness a
great many are caused by pure stub.
bornness," says Wyatt Stanton of the
Schuman Carriage company. Persons
will drive along the middle of road
and smash into each other in many