Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-30
FLASHING bEACONS
: BOON TOAUT0|STS
Dry Land lighthouses
Compel Attention-of the
MosoriSt.

Probably every Washington motor
list has noticed the new traffic signal
at Executive avenue and the Speed
way, near the southwest end of the
Treasury building. And probably not
one in a hundred knows how this
beacon is operated.
Similar "beacons" are being widely
used throughout the country and
are a development of the lighthouse
idea for ships. Instead Of electri city,
acetylene is used for the flashes,
This particular one is constructed OF
sheet steel with a cast-iron housing,
the dissolved acetyi.ne IN the IA
being sufficient for four and one-half
months oneration without attention:
It uses 0s cubic feet of gas every
twenty-four hours. The cost of acety-
lene being o1a cents per cubic foot.
the total operating expense of this
signal for one year is set at $3.50
Color schemes have been carefully
worked out by the company manufac-
turing these dry-land lighthouses"
,The company believes that when the
,red color is used 1t should indicate
extreme danger, and a complete stop
page of the vehicle until the type of
danger is ascertained by the driver.
What the Colors Mean.
The following colors have been
adopted, which. if universally used,
will mean much to the motorist:
Red-Indicating f1rst-degree danger.
to be used only at railroad crossings
dead end of road or lift bridges. All
traffic to stop and proceed only when
nature of passing has been ascer-
tanned.
Yellow " Indicating second degree
danger. at curves and grades. Yellow
should indicate danger where the
sdriver must slow down and proceed
| with caution.
Green-Indicating moving or traffic
danger only, and to be used at road
intersections.
White-Indicating a clear roadway.
Shortly after the installation Of the
new signal two representatives of the
American Gas Accumulation Company.
which makes the beacon" called
upon William Phelps Emo. interna-
tional traffic expert. to ask his views
on the proper kind Of signal.
Mr.. Emo has received the following
letter from G. @. Kelley, represent
ing the company:
Explains Its Benefits.
1.-TWO weeks ago Mr.. Gulick and I
called to discuss with you the traffic
beacon which we have developed
from our lighthouse practice. You
were also interested in the system
Of colors- which we have applied to
these beacons.
Il am summarizing our converse
tion in a letter to you and review the
, traf1c situation as we see 1t, the
causes of this condition and the way
in which we expect the traffic beacon
to solve the problem.
Authoritative information gathered
by the Prudential Insurance Company
of America indicates a steady decline
Of railway and street car accidents
and a constant increase in automobile
accidents per 100000 population in
the United States. This information
shows automobile traffic deaths to
1906 to 1897 in 1919. and that. at
present, there 10 an appalling increase
of approximately 1.o08 deaths from
automobile traffic per year. Injuries
are about twenty times the death rate
high hhG t as 81. R5V .ooo. go per per Year.
This alarming growth of accidents
cannot be charged, except incidently,
to the increased number of automo-
biles. The fault is with a small per-
eentage of the drivers OF motor cars
4 and the lack of proper police control
Of such drivers through the strict
|! enforcement of simple and easily un-
derstood traffic laws. Inadequate -po-
lice forces are a contributing factor.
Traffic rules which are not simple
|, and clearly understood are disregard
Il ed. No real enforcement OF them can
be accomplished.
THE problem reduces to making
the rules for traffic SO plain and clear
that a driver who disregards them
must do so deliberately. You then
D have a basis for real enforcement
Il Of traffic rules by your police: ~
Compel Your Attention.
Our contribution to the traffic
problem is to make the right-tiiing-
to-do at the-right-place sc
absolutely plain that to do anything
else Ia to openly violate the law.
"A flashing light compels attention
where a steady light is ineffective
/ The traffic beacon flashes with sharr
|, punch of colored light. Three colors
red. yellow and green. are used. They
meet all traffic requirements. Each OF
these colors indicates a definite trafit
situation. easily understood and def
mite in the character of warning II
gives. On the base of the traffic bea.
. con is worded a warning, visible un-
der approaching headlights. that ex.
! presses the meaning Of the color fash
1t tells exactly what a motorist Is tG
1 do. These characteristics are 50 easily
understood that all drivers. every
where. know instantly what they
mean.
place one of these beacons at 4
street intersection or at some othel
a compelling warning and direction
that justif1es immediate police actor
il it is disregarded. This is the so
luton of the traffic problem. Eacf
beacon IL as good as an extra mar
:, on the police force. 1t works twenty
four hours day.
The characteristics are right. Tn,
color system has been approved a
| a national traffic standard for citie
and highways by the American Asso
citation Of State Highway Officials ant
other national organizations. Owe
fifty cities are using 1t in connection
with our traffic beacons and hun
bred and nifty more have espresso,
their approval Of it.
AGA TRAFFIC Beacons already in US
are regulating and controlling tram
J in all parts OF the United States
sometimes with practically no polio
enforcement to support them. Beacon
in many places have stood withou
/ automobiles striking them wher
steady electric lights or oil lamp
have been repeatedly knocked dow
and broken. They have demonstrate
that thy have the respect Of trafiit
that traffic understands perfectl
their meaning and that they do regu
late and control it,"