The Topeka state journal., 1922-10-09
WHERE DEATH LURKs.

The Railway Age says that the
causes of fatal accidents on railways
are so changing that new methods
for the solution OF the problem OF
railway accidents are becoming nee
essary. 1t points out that the number
of persons killed at highway crossings
in 1921 was 1,702, or 554 more than
the total fatalities to passengers and
employees due to train operation
This great increase in the number
of persons killed on grade crossings
doubtless can be traced to the in
creased use of the automobile. Safety
campaigns and warnings seem pow
erless to alter the situation. There is
one sure way, however, of putting an
end to killings at grade crossings and
that is by abolishing the grade cross
ings. Let the highway pass under or
ever the railroad track.
The process of eliminating the
grade crossing would be expensive but
the value of human life cannot be es-
timated in dollars and cents. The
railroads doubtless would welcome the
abolition of their office of fool killer.
The legislature which will assemble
next January could hardly perform a
greater service to the public than to
enact a law which would put the
grade crossing out of existence. \
beginning could be made at once in
the case of roads now being con-
structed.
Complete statistics regarding rail-
way accidents in 1921 which have
just been issued by the interstate
commerce commission show that on
the whole the accident record made
by the railways in 1921 was the best
in their entire history. The commits
sion in its report says: 1.-The number
of fatalities resulting from railway
accidents of all kinds, Industrial in
cluded, in 1921 was less than for any
other year since 1889. This is a re-
markab1e showing when it is consid-
cred that the annual transportation
service, measured in ton miles, was
about five times as large at the end
of this period as at the beginning"
The total number of persons killed
in 1921 owing to railway accidents of
every kind was 5,996. The corre-
spending figure for 1920 was 6,92S,
and for 1919, 6.997.
OF this number 116 were passen-
gers and persons carried under con-
tract. This compares with 16s in
1920. The total number of employees
killed in train and train service acci-
dents in 1921 was 1882. This in
cludes not only employees at work, but
those who were not on duty and even
those who were trespassing. + The
corresponding figure for 1920 was
1885. The total for employees and
passengers declined from 2,024 to
1,04S. In proportion to the total
business handled. the accident record
of 1920 was the best up to that time,
and yet it will be seen that the IA
talities to passengers and employees
due to train operation in 1921 wera
only 81 per cent as great as in 1920.
This fact helps to give an adequate
idea of the increase in the safety of
railway operation which has occurred.
But while the railways have been
so greatly increasing the safety of
| their own operations, other develop
ments over which they have little or
no control have been tending to null
| lify their efforts to reduce the sum
total OF accidents. Within recent
years the great increase in the num-
Der OF automobiles crossing the rail-
ways on highways has been causing a
formidable increase in highway cross
| ing accidents. The interstate COM
merce commission in it's accident re-
port says: 'It will be noted that OF
all casualties sustained at grade
crossings in 1917. SO per cent in
volved occupants of automobiles and
motor trucks"