Evening star., 1924-09-09
ARTICLE III.

AhIlCLE He
There are $4,000, 900 motor vehicles
Of all descriptions loose on the streets
and highways Of the United States in
the hands of drivers Of every shade
of responsibility and irresponsibility.
| Last year these motor vehicles were
directly responsible for 1900 deaths
and 100000 more or less serious acci-
dents and the annual toll for 1924
promises to be even higher
This Is why Secretary of Commerce
Hoover called together representa-
| tives Of the automobile manufac-
| turers, the railroads, the insurance
companies, the Chamber of Commerce
of the United States, the National
Safety Council and the American Au-
tomobile Association last April and
told them that, in his opinion, some
| thing ought to be done about it and
| that something soon.
This is why they agreed with him
enthusiastically and solemnly pledged
| their cooperation in any scheme he
might suggest for finding the solu-
tion Of the traffic problem and the
| problems Of street and highway
safety.
This is why eight committees made
up of men of national reputation in
their respective lines from all over
the United States have with innum-
| erable subcommittees been holding
meetings all during the Summer for
| the purpose OF discussing the various
phases Of the subject, such as statis-
tics, traffic control, city planning and
zoning, engineering and construction.
| education, insurance, the motor vehi-
tpln nd lac 10
tant phase Of public relations.
| This is why research organiza-
tion has been set up with headquar-
| ters in the Department Of Commerce
itself which has been sending out
thousands of questionnaires to State
and city officials as well as to pri-
vate organizations and is now busy
collating the replies and getting the
| information in shape SO that it will
be available.
| X x 4
! For the Secretary of Commerce
proposes to call a conference late in
| November or carly in December of
representatives Of all national or
ganizations. which by reason Of their
characteristics. either are or should
be interested in the question of street
and highway safety. 1t will be called
| the conference on street and high
way safety and the Secretary himself
will preside. But before that time
probably a month before the con-
| ference meets-the eight committees
will have drafted their final reports
| together with their conclusions and
| recommendations, and these will be
made public for discussion. They will
| then be taken up by the conference
! and out of it will come a definite
national policy with regard to street
and highway practice and a national
| co-ordinated program, which all or
CARNATIONS can adjust to their own
safety programs. In this way all will
be working along the same general
| lines, without duplication, without
| gaps, and without sacrificing the in
dividuality OF the work they are now
doing
Summed up, the communities and
! States Of the United States are with
a few notable exceptions. treating the
| swollen river of today as we treat
ed the sleepy creek of 25 years ago
These notable exceptions will be
dealt with in future articles for the
| result of their efforts indicate very
clearly what can be done by scientific
methods Our city streets are the
same city streets Of pre-motor We
hfcle days. We are trying to accom-
modate to them a stream Of traffic
| undreamed or by Alexander Wfnton
as he laboriously put together in a
blacksmith shop his first automobile
| with an internal combustion engine
|
The rural highway presents no such
problem as the city street. Here it is
| only a question of widening the sur
face and constructing it so that II
will remain intact at least for a rea
sonable length of time. Curves
grades and road intersections can be
| so marked that the driver has nc