The Washington times., 1920-06-26
CAMPAIGN TOEND
STREET ACCIDENTS
keep to the Right" Is Slogan ot
Drive Backed by Civic .
Organizations.

More than one person each week
met death in traffic accidents In
Washington streets last year-ths
| total for eleven months was sixty-rvs
Major Gessford. Superintendent OF
Police. states.
Fully rs per cent of all accidental
deaths and injuries occur throus h
failure to heed the primary traffic
rule OF Keep to the right" statis-
ticians estimate.
Appalled, by this heavy toll due to
carelesness or heedlessness, leading
business, civic and social organi9a-
tions of Washington are uniting in
an intensive safety FIRST" campaign
which will commence next Thursday
and will continue one week. The
drive Is to be of an educational M '
ture and the program includes spec
tacular features calculated to make
Keep to the right" the slogan Df
every man, woman, and child in
Washington streets.
City Club Co-oper.ting.
One Of the frst in the field to aid
this "Safety-nrst" movement, which
now Is occupying the attention of the
authorities and leading citizens Of the
large cities OF the country. Is w
Pearce Rayner. chairman of the pub
lie safety group of the City Club. He
will cooperate with A. Johnny Mack
of New York city. . nationally noted
conductor of such campaigns. Mr..
City Clubs cooperation. as are Of
ficials Of other leading Washington
organizations.
with more than $50 deaths occur
ring in New York city every month
and an appalling number here since
last January l." Mr.. Rayner de-
clares, "the time has come to call a
halt on this reckless sacrifice Of lie
and limb through sheer carelessness.
The surprising fact is not that there
are SO many accidents because OF the
disregard of Keep to the right"
laws, but that there are SO few. Any
one who doubts this belief had better
stand at one of our busy thorough
fares for a while. He will be treated
to a genuine tug-o'-war skirmish that
would be laughable IL 1t were not so
serious in its results.
OLD AS TEN COMMANDMENTS.
"On the street, at crossings, in the
theaters. on the cars-in every public
place there is mad wrangle and
tangle to get ahead of ones neigh
Dor at any cost. Every day brings a
new toll of accident and death in
Washington's streets-all the effect
OF our carelessness and selfishness in
disobeying the simple rule that spells
safety-"KEEP TO THE RIGHT
rule OF the road that is as old as the
Ten Commandments.
There Is probably not a person
alive in this city or in any other who
has not at some time or other barely
escaped injury or possible death be.
cause OF heedlessness on city streets.
"A campaign OF KEEP TO THE
RIGHT Is as welcome to Washington
as rain in the desert. One thing Is
certain-the present toll OF street ac-
cidents cannot continue. With the in
creasing use of trucks and passenger
vehicles, and the influx of popula-
ton, must confess that I. as are all
public-spirited citizens, am at a loss
for remedy. unless the public can
be educated against carelessness and
an all-embracihg KEEP TO THE
RIGHT movement is carried through
vigorously. as the first step.
mo better slogan Of saftey could be
devised than KEEP TO THE
RIGHT" 1t fits every walk of life.
1t Is the first law of health and Sc
curity. It means self-preservation-
live and let live-meet your neighbor
half way, give him elbow room for
your own good as we'll as his"