Evening star., 1924-06-15
TRAFFIC'S TOLL CUT
BY SAFETY COUNCILS
Fewer Street Casualties Follow
i Public Safety Campaigns,
Chief Reports.
WORKING NOW IN so CITIES
Two Million Children Help Teach
Communities to Be Careful.

With the mobilizing during the
past six months of civic interests in
twenty-one cities to combat street
traffic accidents the number of COM
munities engaged in organized public
safety campaigns now totals sixty,
with a combined population of over
10000, 900 and registration of
100000 motor vehicles, reports the
National Safety Council
Cities which have recently inaug-
urated community safety councils
Cincinnati. Ohio; Brooklyn, n Y. New
ark, \. j.; Denver, Colo; Fort
Wayne. Ind; Knoxville, Tenn; Bat
tie Creek, Mich; Duluth. Mimi.
Marauette; Mich; Beioit, Wis; San
Antonio, Tex: Pawtucket. r. l.; AL
toona. Pa, Norfolk and Portsmouth,
Va; Reading and Berks County, Pa.
Decatur. Ill; Binghamton. y. Y. !;
Charleston. ". Va.
fuencing our American cities to
energetic effort against public acci-
dents" says George T. Fonda of New
York, vice president OF the council in
charge of community safety organi-
za0on. Fatalities, personal injuries
and property damage from traffic ac-
cidents have piled up heavy toll in
lives los. and millions wasted. Here
tofore the public has thrown up its
hands and said Something must be
done. But now that something is
being done, and only q few cities of
size without definite public safety
programs, with the general public par
Gclpaung, remains.
Accidents Arc Fewest.
More than 5.8o0 men and women
influential in business, civic, social
and educational circles are volunteer
workers in the sixty communities
These people are giving freely of
their time and money in the work of
preventing public accidents. A re-
cent survey of schools shows that
over 100000 school children are
taking part in the community safety
work as part of their regular class
room work.
American cities organized for the
protection of citizens against public
accidents is an indication of crystal
lized public sentiment against the
ayoidable and unnecessary accidents,
Noteworthy reductions in personal in
5uries and property losses due to pub
lie accidents have already been ac-
complished in many cities in which
safety work has been taken up as a
civic betterment project"
The work OF the National Safety
Council is cooperative and non-com-
nercial in character. The same pol
icy is followed in the organization of
community safety councils.
The function OF a community safe
ty council is essentially one of edu-
cation.
Important points in city-wide
safety program as now followed in
numerous cities are:
|. Training of children in the prin-
ciples OF safety in the classroom and
education of the public to view acct
dents as avoidable and unnecessary
by means OF public. safety bulletin
boards, concentration of attention on
the subject through the press. by pub
lie demonstration, no-accident cam
paigns and other methods.
,. Revision and enforcement OF ex-
listing traffic ordinances.
;. Engineering revision of traffic
channels and methods of vehicle and
pedestrian traffic control and regula-
tion.
A. Initiation OF automobile brake
testing and headlight testing pro-
grams.
!. Elimination of unfit drivers
through cooperation with courts and
other authorities.
s. Sponsoring OF safe drivers schools