Milford chronicle., 1924-11-28
POST LAW ON ROADS TO
LOWER BAD ACCIDENTS
State Highway Police Take In
itiative, Following 26 Fatili-
ties This Year.

With q fatal accidents alreadl
this year and which number may de-
feat the efforts of the State Highway
Police to reduce the numbers of vic.
tins of fatal motor accidents this
year over the figure last year if the
next two months continue as peril
GUS, the State Highway Commission
has had erected at scores of inter-
sections of the main highway of the
state signs calling the attention Of
the motorists to the state law which,
if obeyed, might prevent further IA
tai accidents.
This law which was enacted two
years ago and which has been in eff
feet for year and a half reads as
follows:
"254P. Sec. 217P. The operator
or driver Of a vehicle upon any
street, road or alley within this
state shall have the right of way
over the operator or driver Of
another vehicle who is approach
ing from the left on an inter-
secting street, road or alley, and
shall give the righ! of way to an
operator or driver of 4 vehicle
approaching from the right on
an intersecting street, road or
alley; provided, however. that
wherever traffic officers are sta
toned they shall have full power
to regulate; provided further,
however, that on any principal
highway outside the limits of
any city or town, the State
Highway Department shall have
the right to declare that vehicles
travelling on such principal
highway shall have the right of
way over vehicles approaching
said principal highway from in
tersecting roads, and provided
further that the State Highway
Department shall erect and
maintain wherever it is deemed
necessary, clear and legible
signs requiring motor vehicles
before driving into CT across
such highway to slacken speed or
to come to a full stop as the
sign shall specify or require"
According to c. D. Buck, chief
engineer of the commission and in
charge of the State Highway Police,
so few motorists have observed the
law, or apparently know anything
about it, that the commission be-
lieves it most essential to have
these signs erected.
"a number of accidents on the
highways have occurred by motor
lists entering from some lateral road
without observing or needing the
traffic on the main thoroughfare,"
said Mr.. Buck. Hereafter, any driv-
ers coming into the main highways
from those roads on which these |
signs have been erected" said Mr.. |
Buck, 'are, if they did not, before |
entering, come to full stop, subject |
to arrest by the State Highway PO-
lice. The public should know that |
this force of men, the State Highway |
Police, will be on the lookout for /
those who violate the section of the
law referred to-"
Mr.. Buck in addition to his many
duties in supervising the construc-
tion of new highways and the main
tenance of the roads already built
has had one aim and that is the re-
duction Of fatal accidents. Every
possible endeavor has been put forth
by the State Highway Police under
his direction to eliminate conditions
that tend to cause accidents and he
Is one of the most disappointed of
men, because with 26 fatal accidents
already reported, the total by the
end of the year may be in excess of
last year when 81 were victims of
motor accidents.
There Is one encouragement this
year and that is that several of the
accidents have been the result of
sheer carelessness on the part Of
who drove on railroad {
racks and met their death in COLI s
jion with a train. This character of
lccident is something that the State {
Highway Police have no control or {
over, and really ought I
lot to be charged up against the
otal of motor accidents on state 7
highways, as far as the state police a
re concerned.