New-York tribune., 1922-07-16
Caution Called
Surest Way to
Escape Danger
Expert Declares Great Many
Auto Accidents Could Be
Avoided by Following
Simple Rules for Safety
Principal Perils Listed
Rail Crossing, Hills, Sharp
Curves and Wet Streets
Claiming Largest Tolls
By H. Clifford Brokaw
1echm1cat Director, New York CITY
West Side Y. NJ. c. A. Auto
mobile Schools

West Side Y. NJ. C. A. Auto
mobile Schools
The operation of any medium of
transportation has its dangerous as
poets. Each new vehicle that the in
ventlve genius of man makes common
place seems to have more capacity for
wrecking human life than the one pre-
ceding. The automobile is not by any
means the least of these in its ability
TO play havoc with human beings and
material things.
The sad part Of this situation is that
great many of the automobile acci-
dents could be avoided. If motorists
would only keep alert to the danger
points IN driving car the annual toll
would be reduced tremendously.
Points of Danger
What are some of these danger
points One of the most common is
IN. ane railroad crossing, with it's famous
stop, Look, Listen" injunction. Yet it
Is almost impossible to pick up Mon
reading of motor tragedies at railroad
crossings.
1t happens not infrequently that
railroad tracks are graded so that the
highway goes under them. In some
cases the roadway under the tracks is
not wide. enough for two cars to pass
or Is so narrow that two machines can
pass only with care. Consequently the
arlver OF car on approaching such a
cut should use every possible precau-
tlon in order to pass through safely.
Crossroads are always points of dan
ger. This is especially so if buildings
or hughpc chcfr1Ict fba ,yiem co that
the driver of car going south, for
instance, is unable to see the road 60
ing east and west. The only safe pro
cedure for a motorst to follow in such
an instance is to slow down almost to
a stop.
A hill is a danger point whether the
driver is going to ascend or descend
it. 1t is dangerous to try to pass
other cars when going up a hill. Just
as a driver gets pretty we'll past such
machine car may appear coming
over the brow of the hill in the oppo-
site direction. The two ascending
cars, side by side, may occupy so much
space that some one or more of the
three cars will be forced either into a
ditch Or collision.
This situation will also indicate a
danger point in descending a steep
6Qe IL 10 HOI Sule W RO uOWn d
hill at a high rate of speed. There
may be a sharp turn near the footsot
the hill that the car would be unable
to make.
Care Needed at Curves
Every sharp curve represents dan
ger point. 1t will be noticed that most
wrecked cars seen along the highway
are on curves.
A ferryboat has its dangerous as
poets for the motorist. One is that he
will lose his temper in the long wait
so often required before getting
aboard. If he is the first or last car
on, it should be blocked and he should
be especially careful that the engine
is not in gear when he starts it.
Wet asphalt of the city street and
almost every kind of highway after
a shower are danger points. A con-
sideration of the use of chains is in
volved. Slow driving to avoid skid
ding is necessary. Deep ruts in a
country road are possible mediums of
accidents. If a driver is going at ex-
cessive speed in deep ruts this may
cause the car to jump out of the ruts,
get out of his control and turn turtle
Every pedestrian is also a possible
danger point. A person who does not
own an artom obile, while he is rapidly
becoming curiosity, nevertheless does
exist and has certain rights wher
walking on the highway. Motorists
should give him every possible chance
to live to a ripe old age. Children
are especially reckless about how they
distribute themselves in the path OF
an auto. School children are some
what protected by signs indicating the
nearness of a school building. Al
danger signs on the road are put
there for a valuable purpose. And al
thoughtful drivers of cars will dc
their best to observe them.