Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-09-25
AUTO ACCIDENTS IN
1921 ARE BLAMED
FOR 1880 DEATHS.
cARELEssNEss, REckLEsSNEss
AND A FEW OTHER REASONS
ARE GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR
RECORD YEAR OF CASUALTIES.

la Automobile accidents in the Unit
ed States in 1921 caused the death OF
1880 persons-one person killed eV'
cry AZ minutes, day and night More
than 100000 persons were injured.
The fatalities on our highways last
wear were more than the American
dead in the Spanish.American war,
while the injured far outnumbered
'"lour 221,000 wounded in the word
war.
That the automobile hazard Is grow
ing steadily is shown by the fact that
altho accidents on the railroads are
decreasing, automobile crashes in
1921 increased per cent. over l92u.
For more than two years the Balu-
more & Ohio railroad has placed men
lo at crossings where large numbers OF
automobiles pass. These observers
note the machines crossing and take
a. down the license number OF those
whose drivers fail TO take any precau-
, ton.
In 1920 these observers noted $685.
900 vehicles and according to their
records, $4,000 drivers failed to take
any precautions at highway crossings.
In one month of this year 1917 auto
mobiles were checked by the railroad S
observers and 2,972 drivers were re-
v ported as having failed TO stop, look
or listen before crossing the tracks.
During the first four months of this
year 5S,S06 machines were observed
and the failures" reached II per
cent
Few Accidents From Skidding.
!. The impression prevails in some
quarters that asphalt payements are
slippery, especially when wet, and
consequently are dangerous TO drive
over. Ii this we're true. accident rec
ords would show large percentage
of cases where skidding was the cause
r. of the accident
A three months investigation re-
Gently made in Maryland discloses the
fact that 80 per cent. of automobile
accidents are due to speeding. OF II
fatal accidents two were caused by
failure to heed the warning at rail
road crossings; four by speeding; four
by driving on the wrong side of the
road, and four by reckless driving.
None of the fatal accidents was caus-
ed by skiddng.
Statistics, from the city records in
San Francisco on automobile and mo-
tor cycle accidents, show 5000 acct
dents in 1921. OF this number, only
13S, or 3.S per cent, were due to skid
Z, ding. OF the 109 of these occurring
on asphalt pavements, rs per cent.
/. were the result OF carelessness. Four
Yifths of San Francisco's paved streets
are of the asphaltic types. Owing TO
rains in winter and fogs in summer.
they are in wet condition most of
a&he time, so the slight percentage of
accidents due to skidding is at once
apparent.
The tabulation of an average thou
sand reports on causes of automobile
collisions filed with the claim depart
ment of the Inter Insurance Exchange,
Los Angeles, shows only per cent. of
the accidents were due to skidding.
Forty per cent. of these skidding ac-
cidents resulted from imprudent at.
tempts to turn too quickly; 30 per
cent, or IL per cent. of all accidents
were due to unavoidable skidding.
Many Collisions in Iowa.
rigid investigation by the Iowa
state highway commission during
1921 showed that 1853 accidents which
occurred in that state, in which 1853