The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-18
BIG SAFETY DRIVE
American Railway Association
Announces Plans for Summer.
For Purpose of Reducing Num-
Der of Crossing Accidents.
PUBLIC ASKED TO OPERATE
Santa Fe VIII Use 10000 Pos
tiers in Campaign.
Many Civic Organizations VIII
Assist in the Plan.

The biggest safety drive in the his
tory of the country will be staged TINS
summer by the Safety Section or the
American Railway association ac-
cording 10 Isaiah Hale, safety super
iutendert of the Santa Fe- ana cnalr-
man of the safety Sections publicity
committee.
The drive will be known as the
Careful Crossing Campaign. and
will have for its chief purpose the re-
duction of crossing accidents, prob
ably the worst menace confronting
the travelling public today. The cam
Daicn will be Of international scope
and will be carried on by all of the
class / railroads in the United States
This places it on a larger scale than
ANYTHING ever attempted before in the
annals OF the safety first movement.
Public to Cooperate.
Inasmuch as the public viii be the
principal benefactor its cooperation
win be urged in the distribution Of
posters and other literature during
tho campaign which will start June
and continue until the last day of
September. While il is true that the
railroads will save money if the num-
Der of crossing accidents can be re-
duced Hale points out that the pub
lie will be interested from the stand
point of saving human life
While definite plans for the cam
uaiEn will not be worked out until the
safety Section of the American Rail
way association holds its annual con-
vention at the Congress hotel in Chi
cago. May 3. 4 and 5, Hale says that
closely linked with the Careful
Crossing Campaign" idea will appear
thousand Of posters bearing the slo-
gan. Gross Crossings Cautiously" It
is going to be little hard to say but
Hale declares that If the public will
get to saying and using the last word
with caution the campaign will be-
highly successful.
10000 Posters for Santa Fe-
one can get an idea of the number
OF these posters TO be used in the cam
paign since it is proposed to print ten
of them for every mile Of railroad
in the United States. This will give
the Santa Fe. with its 1 900 miles of
track. ITO. 900 posters, the Union Pa
cific approximately $4,000 and the
Rock Island nearly 10000 Many
civic and business organizations will
be asked to assist in the distribution
of the posters and it is proposed to
exhibit them with or at the following
places:
Passenger stations. city and other
ticket offices. freight stations, freight
delivery yards. round houses conduc- |
tors rooms, adjacent to but not at I
crossings. auto supply stations, gar
ages. all local Industries. operators of
fleets OF commercial cars. bus lines. |
livery stables, contractors. express
companies auto clubs Rotary, XII
Commerce. prominent retail stores. |
schools. postoffices. banks, hotels, Y. /
NJ. c. As. local highway offices and |
commissioners. electric railways, taxis, |
gate houses, etc.
The posters. which will be printed |
in two sizes, one for outdoor and one |
for indoor purposes. will carry a view /
OF a heavy passenger train about to |
strike a motor car at a crossing. and
viii be so vivid an illustration that the |
look OF horror may be seen upon the !
faces Of the persons in the motor car
about to meet their doom.
To Use Motion Pictures.
The movies will also play an i'm |
portant role in the campaign by being |
asked to produce films depicting the
same scene, minus the persons in the |
car These films are now being pre-
pared by a number of railroad com |
panies which are spending hundreds |
OF dollars for cars only to be smashed |
to blithereens at some crossing. One ]
railroad company is said to have used |
three cars before it got the picture it |
wanted. The job OF taking pictures is |
said to be a rather hazardous task for |
both the operator and the trainmen. |
but nevertheless. they show what is |
actually taking human lives in every
state in the union almost daily.
In addition to the posters and the