The Monroe journal., 1922-02-17
A LIFE EVERY HALF
HOUR THIS YEARS TOLL
That Is What the Figures Show That
CarelessneSs Is Doing in Driv-
ing Automobiles

The Literary Digest Of February
4, devoteS much editorial space to the
auto and its death toll. The Digest
carries several headlines, CLEANED in
one week from papers in San Fran.
cisco, Omaha, Wichita, Detroit, At.
lanta, Chicago, Cleveland and New
York reading as follows:
"Girl is Killed; School Girl Struck
by Reckless Driving, Dying; Street
Car Crushes Auto, Truck Gears Drag
Woman for Miles; Car Rams Auto
Kills l Hurts 4; Three Dies as Autos
Skid on Snow; Woman Killed by Au-
to; 10 Hurt in Car Smash; Woman
Killed; Six Hurt in Auto Collision;
Man is Killed, Three are Hurt in
Accidents; Three Instantly Killed as
Train Hits Auto Party; Auto on
Wrong Side of Car, Hits Child Aged
6; Salesman Dies After Auto Crash.
If the same death rate is maintain
ed this year as was maintained last
year a human life every half hour,
day and night, every day in the year,
will be the toll of autos in 1922. These
figures are given by officials of the
National Safety Council, who further
estimate that $4,000 persons were
killed in the United States last year,
an increase of about 1000 over 1920.
These figures led one editor to re-
mark that "our highways are as dan
gerous as the field of battle" and
another to say leach year the streets
become more dangerous. Killings in
the metropolis now average more than
two each day in the year."
Ten per cent of the auto accidents
throughout the United States occur at
grade crossing, officials of the Balti-
more and Ohio Railway safety de-
partment state. at ought to be a
very simple thing for the driver Of
an automobile to keep sharp look
out as he approaches a railway
crossing" remarks the Dayton News,
"but in the simplicity Of the thing lies
the greatest danger"
The New York World believes that
most of the auto accidents are caus-
ed by carelessness, and the Provi-
dence Journal states that the careless
ness is exhibited by both the auto
driver and the pedestrian. The World
says "these accidents may be minute
ly classified. There is for most of
them only one class-carelessness.
And the State is doing little to put
the careless driver out Of the busi-
ness in which he is an hourly men,
ace" The Journal states that "pe-
destrians often leave the sidewalks
without looking for approaching ve-
hioles; the person who steps in--front
of car can hardly exoect the driver
to stop within distance of two feet
even if the rate of speed is moder-
ate" The Journal states further that
neither the pedestrian nor the car
driver has the exclusive right in the
street and that accidents will be
avoided if both will use caution.
Just what will stop this butchery?
Jail sentences, we believe. In Detroit,
the home of automobiles, they are
sentencing and confining prominent
citizens to Jail for violating speed
ordinances and traffic rules. A few
weeks ago several of the leading busi-
ness men of that city were behind the
bars. In Ohio last week two damage
suits totaling over 100000 were
filed against two men who had care
lessly driven into other automobiles,
inflicting serious, lifetime injuries
upon those in the machines that
were struck.
Every State is confronted with the
same problem, and each State will
have to take drastic action to curb the
fool drivers. AS the New York Journal
states, "it makes little difference
to the parent whether his boy is kill
ed by John Jones with a shotgun or
an automobile. And the man who
strikes another machine or pedestrian
and runs away, as many have done, is
the arch coward Of them all"