Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-07-23
DRIVERS CROSS TRACKS
WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING
Glance Neither TO Right nor
Left, Safety Expert
Declares.

Thors arc no reckless automobile
drivers In the Northwest
+. NJ MetCalfe, superintendent
safety section OF tho Northern Pa
clio, Gays he knows this TO he a fact
because the drivers themselves have
told him 80 repeatedly aud ind,vidu-
ally.
And yc, accidents at railroad
crossings and elsewhere keep hap
pcnins." said Mir. Metcaifc We are
checking Northern "acinc crossings
and find that thousands OF motorists
every day drive over the railroad
tracks without; taking the trouble Ia
look either t" the r!ch; or lcr, lr
a train chances 10 be reckless enough
70 wan: 10 use the crossings at mo-
nents when such drivers use them
there IS apt 10 be collision It's
carelessncss and lack OF cau1ion on
the part Of motorists moro than II Is
rccklcssness which fiji tho hospitals
and gravcyards ~ the country
Mr. Mcicalfe is in charge OF the
Northern Pacinc's campaign in CO.
operation with the American Rail
road Association 10 soil the American
people the idea OF crossing crossings
carefully.
Efforts Produce Results.
Efforts of this kind are producing
results" said MIR Mrtcalfe. last
year the railways OF tho United states
made tho best record for sarory OF
operation that they have ever made
IN the thirty -four years that acct
dent statistics have h"cn compiled by
the Interstate Commerce Commission
The total number OF persons of
all classes employees and nonem-
p!oy"s-kilied ON ;hc railroads i'm
1907 was 1880. This VAS the peak
year in fat"l accidents The number
Of fatal accidents has since then
shown Eraduau: declining ten
dency.
Automobile accidents nave serious
~ intcrfered with efforts 10 reduce
the number Of persons killed on high
way crossings. Motorists were in
VOWED IN rs per cent OF all crossing
accidents in 1920 Yet In 1921 only
about one-haf the number were
Killed IN any year since 1922
When IT is considered that tho
total number Of persons killed In
ls2l was about tho Same as In 1922.
and while since then the number Of
employees has Increased ahou. I4O
per cent. tho passenger tra;rc han
died about 22i per cent. and Tho
freirh, handed abou, 500 per cent
some idea Of tho increase in safety
"t operation which has occurred. cs-
pecially during the last hitccn years.
can be formed
Plants Improve.
large part ot tn. safety 81
operation + duo 1" Improvement I'm
railroad plants. Even more cfcrtiy.
has been the education 81 employees
to inc ideas ~ safety first.
That = safety campaign Is never
iheless necessary and timely. f.
shown by 'he fact that in.thir,v-
wears our country's population IN
creased 6S per cent, while crossing
accidents Increased 2li per cen, I'm
fatal and s52 per cent In injury
cases.
There ar" two ways To reduce or
entirely stop such accidents Tho
frst IN The public mind liz cl!mina-
ton or Tho crossings This IS i'm.
possible. h"caus" there ar. 2al.aao
HIGHWAY crossings on the principal
railroads alone. OF this number. 3qs
wer" eliminated during 1919 \, the
came rate ~ elimination II Will take
S2a years to romoV" these crossings
al cost OF Sl25on. 00o. O0O All the
men and money available would not
he sufficient 10 remove th"s" cross
inEs In lifetime. The practical
way to decrease accidents Is 10 stop.
look and listen,'