The Washington herald., 1921-02-02
VOlstead Act Reduces
Accidents on Line
Says Traffic Expert.

Says Traffic Expert.
In addition to furnishing mental
and physical stimulation to count
less thousands daily, the traffic sit
uatiOn. unwittingly. adds another
talking point to the arguments of
Andrew Nolstead and his legion dis
ciples.
The optimistic cartOOnist at pro-
hibitiOn headquarters who sketches
compelling arguments in the form
of happy firesides, full dinner-pails
and bulging banks as revealed by
the ebb-tide of drinking. can now
truthfully picture a street car track
devoid of mangled forms and strewn
wreckage. For prohibition has
greatly reduced the number OF aC-
Cidents upon authority of f. Won
Oulin, traffic superintendent for the
Capital Traction Company.
The worst danger spot in Wash
inGton used to be on Pennsylvania
avenue from Four and Hair
street to the Peace Monument" said
Won Culin "Drunks and dopes in
this neighborhOod forced extreme
/ caution on mOtormen. Obviously
| today, accidents due to drunken
ness are almost negligible"
This Makes Trouble.
/ The two principal reasons for
| apoplectic motormen in Washing
| ton are. as outlined by Won Culin
| yesterday:
1. The pre-occupied pedestrian
whose thoughts are above curb
| level
2. The lady motorist, expectant OF
chivalrous attention under all cir
! cumstances.
Won Culin gave the impression
| that he thought that meditative per-
| son who posed for Rodin'a Thinker"
was a pedestrian who lived on a
carline.
Crossing some of the intersec-
tions. or all Of them, in Washington
! is too important a task to let your
| thoughts wander to other things,
he warned. Many people do it and
some pay a penalty"
| The Capital Traction Company
safety campaign within it's own or
ganization IS based on a number OF
, company rules. The first of these
is that safety counts. Safety be-
| fore running time or anything else
| Speed, Coasting and the necessity OF
running on a schedule are all sec
ondary to safety" said Won Culin
This is impressed continually on
our men,"
| Inspectors on Job.
Another factor for safety is the
| stationing of inspectors on grades
and curves to time the speed A
report against any man for exces-
sive speed results in his being
asked to explain.
Every morning of the year the
complaints and reports of the day
previous are carefully read over
said Won Culin, "and after company
officers have expressed their opin-
| ions of these, the reports are sent
! to the men involved for their pc
rusal and for an explanation, il
asked
inspectors on platforms and on
cars and danger spots greatly aid
our efforts to reduce accidents"
Coasting-the practice of utilizing
down grades to glide without
power-is regarded as so necessary
to safe control of cars and their
economical operation that the Capt.
tai company has installed coastins
registers on all cars and keeps a
careful record of every motorman's
percentage.
Running time a week is used as
a basis. Thirty per cent of a mans
running time is regarded as a good
coasting percentage. The company
has some men VINO percentage run
as high as so and Sc per cent. In
other words they have operated
three and one-half days out Of the
seven without consuming current,
wearing brake shoes and without
the risk of speeding cars.
They must observe their sched-
ules and not coast at the expense
OF time and we know that a man
with a good coasting record is not
recklessly showing his car ahead
without regard for the speed limit"
said Won Culin.
Reduces Accidents.
This coasting requirement on the
company's lines has greatly reduced
accidents and by conservation OF
tuel and wear has more than paid
Tor the cost of installing the equip
ment.
The company offers no bonuses
"i Pll@eS lot SAFETY records be-
lleVing that a wage running to
% cents an hour compensates an
employe for doing his utmost to
earn that wage.
Loading platform and chained
areas have done much to abate
some evils of congestion, according
to Won Culin. A bad spot now ex-
listing Tor which no remedy is inn
medlately applicable is on Four
teenth street from H to New York
avenue and thence to. Fifteenth
street. Four tracks cover these
streets. The removal of the w r.
A. terminal several blocks east from
this mint hnlr, -.