The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-10-18
SAFETY FIRST MEETING
LEFT over from last week

ol6ChlOOL OA II VI bdDyt wv. -, q
the Commercial club rooms, abou
twenty members of the regula
safety first committee being present
These meetings are held monthly a
towns along the line, and visitor
are always welcome. Their work il
to study the best ways to reduce
dangers and accidents to employee
of the road and to the public. Thu
organization has been functioninl
for upwards of ten years and Their
is always something more to be done
to make operations safer, and not the
smallest part of the safety first worl
needs to be done by the railroad PEG
pie. The public do not understand
railroad operations so well as thu
employees and run into many dang
ers thru lack of understanding
Since the automobile came into play
a new kind of danger has arisen, and
drivers were admonished for years
to stop, look and listen before driv.
ing upon a railroad crossing, but
they do not take the advce and many
there are that head a procession to
the cemetery as a result. People are
now advised to hesitate before driv-
luS upOu Tall OdQ, dnu lOOh OOtn
ways for trains. A new slogan has
been written that reads, HE who
hesitates is SAFE" and that is as close
as drivers can be made to come to
that older slogan, stop, look and
listen" 9
Some people drive cars right into
the side of movng trans. and very
little information can be gathered as
to why they do it, because they do
not live to explain. Blackfoot had
q peculiar case not long ago when
very short lady drove her car upon
the tracks when a passenger train
was just clearing the CLOSING, but 1t
was slowing down. She evidently
calculated the slow speed and aimed
to cross just behind it, but she failed
to calculate correctly that the train
was going slower every second, for
her ear bumped the rear coach
slightly just in front of the rear
steps. The train kept on moving and
ripped on the steps without doing
any damage to her car. The steps
fell on the ground in front of her car
and all she had to do was to back up
and 80 around.
The safety first people look into
the cause Of all accidents. and she
was summoned to appear before q
and give them what In
formation she could ~ to why this
and what do you think she
told them! We have already stated
that she was not tall, but was short.
Well. their report reads that this &C
cident was due to her legs being too
short to roach the brake quick
enough. There have been others who
drove into the side of a train with
legs long enough to reach the brakes,
but with life too short to reach the
with an explanation.
Hundresd OF people are killed or
crippled by driving in front Of trains
out In the country. where the train
IL plainly visible, but neither the
driver nor his seatmate looks about
for q train. A good many of these
accidents happen where the car ap-
proaches the tracks on q sharp angle,
10 the driver has to look back over
his shoulder to see the train, and 1t
10 unhandy for driver to look back.
This is why he should slow down
while he looks or have q seatmate
who looks for him and tells him,
Train coming, STOP" or mo train
In sight" The seatmate can be a '
great help to q driver and increase
their safety, but that custom has not
been developed yet.
1t is said that eight of every ten
drivers race across railroad tracks
Tor trains, and in the past five years
twice as many people have been
killed in that way as were killed at
he battle of Gettysburg. 1t has been
suggested that all railroad crossings
,e changed into subways, and the
estimated cost of this would be
welve billion five hundred million
dollars and 1t would take thirty years
o do the work. That is two-thirds
4 the value of all the railroads in
he country, and the generation that
commenced the job would not live to
omplete it. The one remedy for 1t,
Elective at once and not costing q
emit is to stop, look. listen, before
rossing a railroad, and II there is
vision of opinion as to whether to
O 1t or not, those who favor 1t can
ut the rule into operation for their
wn safety and those who do not can
o on until their time comes, mad 1t
ONES to somebody every day. 1t
eQuires but few seconds for the :
verage train to pass crossing, and !
lost people can spare a few seconds :
, order to avoid slaughter. Acct ,
ents at grade crossings would abso- (
ltely cease II people would stop, !
,ok and listen before crossing, and
lat is the best life insurance that 9
nybody can get.
Blackfoot has had its accidents, r
nd its people need to study train OPP +
ration and their relation to it. $
lackfoot people have great deal to s
~ about the need of subway for q
,otmen, and If we we're to have one,
lere would be a difference of opin- 9
n as to what street to have it on. q
peculiar thing about subways is r
lat wherever they are put in, all n
affic is required to take the sub \
ay whether there is train in sight n
; not. On this account 1t is likely
at if we had the subway there r
ould still be grumbling about hav- v
6 to use 1t all the time. 1t Is more d
on h1a and a longer trim to 90 thru :