Evening star., 1923-01-07

cusScd in newspapers and other
places. one very important fact is
generally overlook cd--the number of
motor cars in daily use and the tre-
meudous volume Of passenger traffic
: handled, according to f.. T. Strong.
general sales manager. Buick Motor
Company.
In the proportion OF the number
of motor cars in use 10 the number
of street cars or railroad cars. the
number of accidents due TO automo-
biles Is very small.
Before US We have some interest
ing figures compiled by Il trade
publisher. We find that there are
today 55,2J0 railroad passenger
coaches IN use, having Il seating
capacity of 2.270.000 passengers The
Seating capacity of 100000 auto
mubiles now in use is i7.OOO.OOO.
During 1922 rail facilities should
have to their credit i1.000.00n. 600
passenger miles. Assuming that the
average number Of passengers per
automobile is two and the average
annual mileage is 5000 miles. the au-
tcmohilc must lac credited with ia
c"aooO.Orn ia scngcr miles this year.
~ other words, automobiles now
- use will total nearly two and one
halt times the passenger mileage of
rad facilities.
Tremendous Gain in Autos.
lThe use of automobiles has shown
. tremendous gain In 1910 there
were but 43f,00O motor vehicles reg
iStcrod in the United States. while on
July |. 1922. there were 10.60S.127.
With this great growth, approaching
An almost universal use Of the motor
"ar. II is quite natural that there
enpuld be AN in ,reaSed number of ac-
cidedtS. Hut the big point to bear in
mind Is that thesEumbcr of accidents
mas not increased proportiOnatelS
with the Increased use of motor cars
Accidents caused directly or indi-
reclly by motor ears are Siderably
less proportiOnately than those due to
Other modes of transportation. And
thls is true in spite of the fact that
'heN are we'll regulated and estab-
lished by excellent rules and regula-
tlonS and the fact that they have
warning signals. electrical devices
and scientific methods to assist in
preventing accidents
And Vet without any uniformity in
well planned and Well worked out traffic
avs the automobile has proved an eff
cicn:. harmless machine.
We do not mean in any way to dis
para &c the excellent work of other
modes OF transportation. but we be-
,teNe that if uniform laws and regu-
i&tlons governing the traffi, of motor
N@hicles were established the number
OF accidents due to automobiles
would be materially reduced.
The motor car has long since passed
out OF the confines of the horse drawn
carriage. Capable of great distances in
single day. 1t recognizes not the limi-
tatons Of one city's streets or one
states highways. 1t is an intercity
and an interstate vehicle. And it be-
7ooves the motorist to know the traffic.
laws OF each hamlet, town and citv
ana OF each state. or else he cannot
nrtNe with safety and security.
PerpiexinG Prcdicament.
The inequality OF traffic laws places
the tourist. if he is as conscientious
Rs he should be, in a very perpIexine
prcdicament.
in a strange city ne doesn't know
%Hether or not he is permitted to use
ms spotlight. The traffic officer on the
corner has method peculiar TO him.
Seh. In making a turn. should the
s2otorlst pass around the officer in
front OF him or in back?
Is the motorist within rhe Ian, of
;he city if he should turn around in
me middle of the bloch? What is he
expected TO do when following street
cars or In passing them" Is the safety
<ohe place to avoid at al times or
nnlE when pedestrians are standing
S":thln it: What are the speed laws"
And then there is the question of
hand signals, which. although given
considerable publicity. are far from be-
rs. .,.int 9naL 9iled or III common use. A
notorlst often does not know what
70 90 when he sees a driver ahead nf
iiln make some sort of a signal Tba
tLEeeedfng IRE car is as likely to turn to
me, rne itIl as u is TO the right. Or it
may be that the driver intends IN eton
10 the country the laws of the hi~b
Way are likewise quite dfssimiisr
'Ihls IS especially true in connection
Win the use of headlights, which
we discussed several months apo ~,
this page. There are also sons 5iFl 1tl
ference IN the law respecting the kind
oi neadllght lenses permitted
Number of Accidents Small.
Despite the lack Of uniformity in
connection, with all Of these things
the number of automobile accidents
ls remarkably small. The percent
age would be even smaller if the
same traffic laws were universally
used
The time has come when Soma
actlon should be taken to bring about
improved driving conditions, not only
IN the interest of accident prevention.
but also in the interest of making il
easier for commercial and vocational
tourists
driver should be able to know
that he is in the right in any town
or state so long as he observes
definite rules and regulations. He
should not be permitted to do one
thing in a certain community and
not in another.
Both the communities and the
motorists would benefit by an organ
lied system of traffic laws. Com
munlties would find that strange
motorists would be able to cooperate
rather than hinder in the smooth
handling of traffic. Motorists would
be perfectly at ease in any COM
munity, for they would know that
the same general laws were common
both to their home city and the
strange city.
Such a thing as hand signaling alone
would be made effective by a~nation-
wide adoption and observance of eff
fective signals. Then it would be a
simple matter for the California mo-
torist to signal the New York driver
on the streets of Chicago or New Or