New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-18
Pedestrian Control the
Solution, Is New
York's Idea
IStatement By the National Auto
mobile Chamber of Commerce.

m00ue Chdm0cT OF commerce.
Much public misapprehension re-
garding the causes of street and road
accidents persists, notwithstanding Of
fetal records and statements that are
available to any one who cares to
ascertain the truth. Recently the
New York State Commissioner of
Health issued statement at Albany
showing that although deaths from
typhoid fever in the state during Sep
TENDER were less than the average for
the same month in past years. the
number of fatalities due to automo-
biles showed a marked increase Land
was greater than the combined deaths
from typhoid and scarlet fever.
These figures" he said. emphasize
the imperative need for stringent en-
forcement of traffic regulations
against reckless drivers as we'll as
education of pedestrians in careless
ness on streets and highways, which
they must share with vehicles"
The Health Commissioner apparently
overlooks or ignores two important
facts: First, that, although automobile
accidents increased, the number of au-
tomobiles in use had also increased,
but the ratio Of accidents to cars did
not increase; second. that the increase
in use of motor vehicles and the de-
crease in horses in the cities con-
tributed materially to the decrease in
typhoid, scarlet fever and other in
fectious diseases through reduction of
the fly danger.
New York City enforces vehicular
regulation more stringently and eff
fciently than any other city in the
country, yet after years of study of
the problem it says in its annual re-
port for 1916: should law be passed
giving the police some control Of the
movements of pedestrians, and should
the enforcement of the law be sup
ported by a proper public sentiment. it
is quite likely that not only will the
increase in street accidents be checked,
but that a decrease in the present
number may be accomplished"
/ This is a very modest statement. In
/ its 1916 report the Police Department
refrained from tabulating the records
showing the number of accidents and
deaths due to the fault of the injured,
/ but in its report for 1915 the figures
showed that 80 per cent Of the ecci-
dents were attributable to the injured.
This is conclusive evidence that no
further amount of regulation of vehic-
ular traffic can possibly reduce street
accidents more than 10 per cent.
An exhaustive investigation of all
facts connected with the more serious
motor vehicle accidents in Massachu-
sets during the last eight or nine
years has been made by the State High
way Commission, which employed
trained Investigators for the purpose.
Six investigators spent two weeks max
ing a careful study Of CTS selected
cases Of serious accidents and compiled
a report, the results of which are pub
lished in extenso in the annual report
Of the commission for 1916, just issued.
AS a result the commission makes the
following statements:
1.-THE public has many erroneous
ideas as to what causes automobile
accidents. The impression gets
abroad that most of the accidents are
caused by reckless or drunken oper-
ators, running at excessive speeds, and
that many operators are never caught
These impressions are not correct in
fact in any large proportion of the &C
cidents.
"Out of the 675 cases examined the
operators were believed to be intoxi-
Gated in ~ instances only, or in just
about 6 per cent. Women are unusually
careful operators, being involved in
only per cent of all the accidents
although they constitute about s per
cent of the licensed operators. They
were held mot at fault In out Of
fatal accidents.
ain the 265 cases in which 243 pedes-
TRANS and % others were killed the
pedestrian or other user of the high
way was wholly at fault in 1872 and
/ partly 20 blame in 43. The operator
was wholly at fault in 81 cases and
/ partly 20 blame in AZ.
1.-TWO hundred and five deaths out o.
| 265 would not have occurred IL reason
able care had been exercised by the
deceased. In more than half of all
the cases in which pedestrians and
other users OF the highway outside Of
the motor vehicle were either killed or