Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-06-24
ClubWonen AS
doctors of Safety"
To End Accidents

Chautauqua, y. v, June 23.-"If
every club woman in the United
States would confer on herself the
degree of Doctor of Safety traffic
accidents would soon he Virtually
done away with" said John G. Long,
Of the National Automobile Chamber
of Commerce, speaking before the
General Federation of Women's Clubs
here today.
Most accidents on our highways
are needless" said the speaker. The
conditions which cause them are pre-
Vcnta BILE. Twenty eight cities lower
Cd their traffic fatality records in 1921.
Detroit and st. Louis nearly halved
their previous highway mortality fig
urc3. Credit tor this decrease bc-
longs to local Doctors Of Safety
who diagnosed the trouble and then
applied strong remedies to bring
about ConvalCscCncc.
The increase OF motor vehicles siO
the number of 10000, 900 in use today
has come about so rapidly that we
have been staggered by the traffic
problem, and have often been led TO
handle in a panicky manner a con-
dition which VIII yield to normal
treatment.
we have passed stringent laws,
cried for punishment OF the speeder,
and demanded that traffic rule yio-
latOrS be put in jail. This is all
well enough, but it is not funda-
mental. Persons who spread disease
should be quarantincd, but that does
not necessarily stamp out the source
of the malady.
Among the causes Of traffic aCci-
dents are careless driving, children
playing in the streets, poor parking
accommodations, insufficient play
grounds, bad street lighting. lack Of
signs, narrow street limits, mad
equate police force, unintellgcnt
traffic regulations.
IF boy or girl in Your commu-
nifty is taken i'll, the doctor is called
in and makes his diagnosis. He de-
cideS whether the trouble is Group,
or scarlet fever. or what, before at
tempting to prescribe a remedy. If
a child has typhoid fever the whole
water supply system OF the town may
iiNNL III ,Sli7ciNlOIl
IF child is injured in an auto
mobile accident, however, someone
may be arrested, the police may in
SSt on all motorists carrying special
cards, a few more ordinances may
he passed, but in most communities
there Will he no exhaustive CXami-
nation of why that accident occurred
II the club women OF the United
States would confer on themselves
the degree of Doctor Of Safety acct
dents would soon be virtually done
away with.
Any woman's club can make a
safety diagnosis of its own town, and
cure the accident evil. Make a map,
of the city. Place a white pin at
every point where a child accident
occurred during the past year, and
d blue pin for every adult accident
on the highways. There YOU have
a basis for determining accident
causes:
Are there many pins concentrated
at certain points? Perhaps better
lighting. more signs, and more police
are needed there. Are most of the
pins in the middle Of blocks rather
than at intersections? Then a cam
paign to urge crossing at the cross
ings is needed. Are the child pins
prevalent? Then more attention is
needed in school instruction. in home
training, in local Fairgrounds.
Following this anatomy study.
which should reveal the worst Of the
sore spots. should come a study Of
the police records on accident cases.
At what time Of day and year did