The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-07-19
WESTERN DRIVERS
ARE NOT CARELESS

There are no reckless automobile
drivers in the northwest.
Mr.. F. NJ. Metcalfe, superintendent
safety section of the Northern Pa
cific, says he knows this to be a fact
because the drivers themselves have
told him so repeatedly and individu-
ally.
And yet accidents at railroad
crossings and elsewhere keep hap
penings," said Mr.. IIetcalfe. owe
are checking Northern Pacific cross
ings and find that thousands of mo-
tCrists every day drive over the rail
road tracks without taking the trouble
t lCok either to right or left. If a
Se}% chances to be reckless enough
to want to use the crossing at mo-
ments when such drivers use them
there is apt to be a collision. It's
carelessness and lack of caution on
SFhe Tart Of motorists more than it is
recklessness which fills the hospitals
and g%raveyards of the country"
Nr. Metcalfe is in charge of the
Northern Pacific's campaign in CO.
operation with the American Rail-
road Association to instill into the
minds Of the American people the
idea Of crossing crossings carefully.
Efforts Of this kind are produc-
ing results" said Mr.. Metcalfe.
Last year the railways of the United
States made the best record for safe
ty Of operation that they have ever
made ir the 81 years that accident
statistics have been compiled by the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
"The total number of persons of
all classes-employes and non-em-
plOyes-killed on the railroads in
1917 was 1889. This was the peak
year i nfatal accidents. The number
of fatal accidents has since then
shown a gradually declining tend
ency.
Automobile accidents have seri-
ously interfered with efforts to re-
duce the number of persons killed
on highway crossings. Motorists
were involved in rs per cent of al
crossing accidents in 1920. Yet il
1921 only about one-half the number
were killed that were killed in 1907
and probably less than the number
killed III any year since 1899.
when it is considered that tn
total number of persons killed il
1921 was about the same as in 1895
and while since then the number 0
employees has increased about ID
FER cent, the passenger traffic han
died about 225 per cent, and tn
freight handled about 400 per cent
wsomecidea Of the increase in safet,
of operation which has occurred, es
pecially during the last Is years, ca
be formed.
"A large part of the safety of or
@cIati&sl is due to improvement i
railroad plant. Even more effectiv
has been the education of employee
to the idea of safety first.
That a safety campaign is neve
theless necessary and timely, is show
by the fact that in 80 years u cour
try's population increased 68 pc
cent, while crossing accidents il
creased 345 per cent in fatal and 65
in injury cases.
There are two ways to reduce c
entirely stop such accidents. Tt
first in the public mind is elimin:
ticn of the crossings. This is in
possible, because there are ISL 90
highway crossings on ke princip;
railroads alone. o. this number, SO
were eliminated during 1919. At IL
same rate of elimination it will taE
629 years to remove these cf6ssing
at a cost of S12, 800 GOO, 900. All IL
men and money available would n,
be sufficient to remove these eros
ings in a lifetime. The practic
way to decrease accidents is to sto
look and hsten!"