The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1924-09-03
The Most Alarming
Social Fact of the
Present Day

From an Article by District Judge
Wallace R. Heady Of Massachusetts
in the Springfield Republican.
| Every driver of an automobile on
| a public street or road should be con-
stantly possessed with the thought to
avoid even the possibility Of an acct
dent. Under all the varying and
shifting conditions which he encount-
ers and which he should vigilantly
observe, he should keep wide mar
gin of safety between his own car
and the possibility of injury to any
person.
The inf1iction of sudden death upon
children and adults who are pedes-
TRANS attempting to cross our streets,
is the most alarming social fact OF
the present day.
The automobile driver who perpe-
trates this tragedy is in greater or
less degree morally guilty in every
case.
The legislature a good many years
ago, when the tragical situation had
reached only small fraction of its
present alarming proportions, passed
statute which goes as. far as pos
sible to make such driver legally
guilty in every case, with penalties
provided up to a maximum Of two
years in Jail.
The supreme judicial court has re-
Gently upheld that statute in strong
and sweeping terms, holding that
negligence of the person injured need
not necessarily be considered, that
negligence of the driver of the car
infiicting injury is not necessarily
vital part of the criminal case against
him, that the legislature for the
common welfare has put the burden
on the. individual of ascertaining at
his peril whether his conduct is with
in the sweep of criminal prohibition"
The decision refers to common
knowledge that many lives are lost
and many persons injured" by motor
vehicles and to "this appalling inn
pairment of human usefulness and
happiness" as justification for the ex-
istence and rigid enforcement of the
statute designed to protect life and
safety, and which condemns and pen
allies anyone who drives $50 that the
lives and safety of the public might
be endangered"
The responsibility of the driver of,
an automobile to look out for the
safety of each and every pedestrian,
is overwhelming in it's character and
degree.
It has always been held, both in
reason and in law, that the degree of
care required Of anyone, with refer
ence to the safety of others, is in
direct proportion to the dangerous
character of the instrumentality
handled.
The driver is entrusted, by special
license, with the control, in the street,
of potentially deadly engine-driven
car. His car glides along on silent
rubber tires, with an almost silent
engine.
The pedestrian, child or adult, who
tries to cross the street, in the act
has face and eyes turned in another
direction than that Of an oncoming
car, and will see the car only in case
of thoughtfulness to turn face and
eyes in that direction.
On the contrary the river has, with
in the natural range of his forward
looking vision, view of the whole
width of street and sidewalks, con-
siderable, and commonly quite long,
distance before reaching the point of
crisis. He must see the person on
the sidewalk; if that person steps
from the curbing, he must see that
act when it occurs; he must do the
thing necessary to absolutely protect
from injury the person who has been
subject to such timely vision on the
part of the driver.
The child that is injured, commonly
runs from behind standing car into
the street. The child was not hiding
behind the car, or even standing there,
but had been on the sidewalk and,
by childish impulse, ran behind the
standing car into the street.
The driver, using every possible
vigilance to do so, should see the child
while on the sidewalk and should an
ticipate it's possible movement, and
should take every precaution neces-
sary to prevent the possibility of in
jury to the child. If the horn is
sounded in such way as to actually
dlITdCL IIc dtttuLlOI Ol tue CLllO,
before it reaches the danger line in
the street, there will be no such ac-
cident.
The driver should drive so slowly
with relation to all conditions, that
he cannot be surprised or gotten into
an accident.
Every driver of an automobile
should have strongly impressed in
his mind this legend: watch al
ways-don't kill-look out for the
other person, who may be careless
and get you both in trouble" Paste
it on the windshield. A drop of
water constantly falling wears away
stone and constant iteration of
precept impresses the mind.
In conclusion-the driver must see
to it at his peril that he does not in
jure persons or destroy life. In view
of all that has occurred, he should