Evening star., 1924-10-28
PLAN BIC CAMPAIGN
T0CURB ACCIDENTS
Committees to Seek Educa-
ton of Whole Nation to End
Traffic Fatalities.

Confronted with a mounting NOR
tality list from operation of the 49,
100000 motor vehicles in use in the
United States, the American public
during 1925 will be parties to and
students in the greatest educational
plan ever adopted in the United
States. with the single purpose of re-
ducing the staggering total of lives
lost through ignorance and lack of
observance OF the rule that constant
vigilance on the highways of the ma
tion is the price of safety.
Eight committees of the national
conference on street and highway ac-
cidents, which will meet at the call
of Secretary of Commerce Hoover in
Washington. December IS, 16 and II,
are working to coordinate a definite
educational plan whose teaching viii
extend into every home in the United
States and whose program contem-
plates education of every person hav-
ing anything to do with the move
ment of human beings and merchan-
disc by automobile. This program
will be laid before the conference,
taking the place Of the usual report
of a resolutions committee. will be
adopted and put into immediate use
by every agency dealing with traffic
on the streets and highways of the
Nation.
Children to he Educated.
Children in the public and high
schools will be given complete
course in safety instruction; the gen.
eraI public will be constantly re-
minded that observance of the pri-
mary rules of safety is the price of
life; schools will be opened for auto
mobile drivers, courses will be given
to teachers in the normal schools
/ and intensive courses will be opened
| in engineering universities for the
! training of traffic experts, looking to-
ward the selection of competent traf-
fc officers. In addition, the drivers
behind the 100000 wheels of the
motor driven vehicles in the United
States, will be educated up to the idea
| that safety of the public and the
! driver is the first consideration.
This education program, by its size
and scope, will make all the efforts
now being made to reduce traffic ac-
cidents. seem small by comparison,
although much has been done by To-
cal safety committees to reduce loss
of life. The report of the eight COM
mittees will be voted on and adopted
| in advance of the conference.
Taking as it's foundation the thesis
that Ignorance of the public" is t
| the base of the great majority of traf-
! fc accidents the conference will con-
slider every phase of education of the
static element from whose ranks
22.60O persons met their deaths in
traffic accidents last year.
Figures now being developed by
the general committee show that
| while many automobile accidents
occur in Washington each year, the
ratio of non-fatal accidents to fatal
accidents is small compared with
other cities. One out of every 3S
automobile accidents in Washington
results fatally, while the ratio in
New York is one in l9 and in Cleve-
land one in 90 The fatality rate
here in 1923, due to traffic accidents,
was Is per 100000 population.
The conference will probably be
held at the new home of the Cham
Der of Commerce of the United States,
at Connecticut avenue and H street.
Secretary Hoover will open the con-
ference, and hopes to preside at all
the sessions. The Commerce Depart
ment head is more than passively in
terested in reduction of deaths and
injuries due to traffic accidents. He
has taken the lead in organization of
the conference, and will take every
step in his power to put through a
concrete program which, it is hoped,
| will effect reduction in the toll
taken by motor driven vehicles.