Evening star., 1923-12-09
RA|L-CROSS|NG LAW
HELD UNNECESSARY
SeIf-Protection Duty of Each
Motorist and Not State,
HoosierS Claim.

Asserting that in the last analysis
the matter of railway crossing safety
is up to the individual motorist or
other vehicle driver, and that until
the millennium comes when all grade
crossings are separated. the matter
of safety is a strictly individual and
personal matter. the Ioosier state
Automobile Association. the Indiana
sftiliation of the \. VI. ~, in a safety
bulletin just issued. urges an imme-
diate adoption of this attitude on the
part of every one.
I'VE recently issued statement
which was miscoustrued into Il
declarat tion that this statewide as
sociation of automobile owners was
in favor Of a law making stops at
all railroad and interurban crossings
in Indiana compulsory. The Hoosier
Automobile Association does not at
this time indorSe any such PROPOSE
lion and has opposed the passage
of such legislation iii the past. W e
have declared and still believe that
motorists generally would consider
this mainly in the light Of more of
the thou shalt not leeislation," the
association says. and continues:
p to iudfNfGual.
1T is. after all. up to the gumption
Of each one OF us. this matter of stop
ping at railroad or interurban
crossing. The chance takers are
flirting with death.
Our idea is that drivers had bet
ter be a minute late at their des-
tination than ten years ahead of
matter OF compulsory stops. which
would include even the so-called
'wide-open crossings it is conceiv-
able that such law would he bur
densome and lend itself to more vio-
lationS than observance.
''Ferhaps the attitude of a we'll
known railroad executive on this
subject would be OF interest. This
man writes us: We have had recently
two accidents where the drivers ap-
in broad daylight, and in spite OF
this they drove out onto the tracks
right In front of the locomotive. In
one instance, three persons We're
killed. The railroads as 4 whole are
for a law which would compel every
driver to stop before crossing any
railroad track. However. such n law
has been on the books Of Illinois for
number of y"ars. but il enforced
only in isolated instances. usually
by some ambitious justice of the
peace who sets a trap at some cross
ing where the view is exceptionally
good, with the idea of catching more
violators at such a crossing than
ne would where the view was OBJ
scured. If such a, law in Indiana
were no better enforced 7 do not be-
lieye 1t would do any good"
Protection for Drivers.
Declaring such instances as re-
ferred TO by the railway executive
'tsimpIy open up another avenue for
preying and grating on motorists" "
the automobile ass ociation asserts
that "all sides and all angles of such
proposal should be considered very
seriously by press and public" be-
fore attempting to write such a
statute on the books of Indiana
The automobile association recon-
mends this little "Coue style" re-
frain. as written by the office poet
of its safety bureau:
AT every track both night and
day,
I'll stop and look and listen.
II view be poor no gates ajar
Or angels wings shall for me
glisten.'
Commit this little hymn to mem
ory and act on it day by day and
we venture the assertion grade cross
ing accidents Will he lessened in In
diana" the association says.