The Washington times., 1925-08-18
With The
| ibiArtists
.l--A-.--as.ss-----4--
Sergeant Burke's Story
Shows Menace to Life
in 81. dlepOwer
Lights
Reason for One Death
b. DONALD MtDOUGAL

saturday to hear from eyS-wit.
nessee how tlis accident on Con-
duit road happened-tile one
where a Lady was killed and
several other people worA injured.
Sergeant Burke Of the Seventh
Precinct was testifyinE when We
got there. but we. missed part ct
what he said while we were
hunting for our copy paper.
We FOUND II 1t last along with
our hat in our left hand just
| in time to note the following:
Sergeant Bufku@- About half
past ten Thursday night ret =
| phone message that there W4g
|. an auto accident on Conduit read
| near weaver place where ono
person had beeF killed and bev.
efal injured. I rot cut there
/ just before Q quarter TO eleven.
Youns MAA's Bbesy
~ found q badge touring q
little or the concrete and up
to the hvbk In mud. a aaaR 81
two ahead 81 Il wAh q FOEd
coupe with 3 young man IN IL.
Al Number ef people were stand
ing around telling how the Accls
dent could have boen avoided.
THE youne man said he Vas
going toward tQN1n about halt
past ten ana had nearly re4eAed
weaver place when the lights
from ear g0iAg the other way
blinded him.
He was running about fiftsen
miles An hour, ne It'd, when.
Witleut any warning, NJ sAw =
group Of people II the read a.
FAetiy ahead Of him. the nearest
one aBout five Fest away.
I'D struck btkOkA the brakes
were well on and came - 4 stop
within twenty fest.
There was no sign % int0xiea-
ton about him ana no smell 81
alcohol on his breath.
CiSbe % ROaAsids
..The Dodge car. also heAAtd
for town, had run OF the con.
crete on t6 the recently filled
trench where the new conduit j
being laid. All the passengers gOt
out cf the ear and sttod 1T the
roadside, out In the mud. except
one man, who ttayeA In the car
to mind the baby.
The road was NeIl enough IL
Illuminated to render visible =,
group 6f five peoplo~Ait Wa not
raining at that particular time,
and there Was q street light with.
in fifty Or sixty feet, and another
Ogte about 100 feet away.
THE man was an expoaience4
driver. having held q District Op-
eEtit6r'e permit Ter three years.
There was no sukgAwti0n that he
was il any degre9 lneOMicated, or
that aAe was otherwise than in
nc.rnaI condition In all fespecks.
The victims were atanding on
tie Axtf1rhe Sdke OF the concrete
NJ. Banks testified, I told
them, Don't stand cut to- fAr--
ynd may get struck.
ssTh6 coupe must have been
running pretty close 70 the edge
81 ii couldn't have hit them.
Some Reason for II
"A driver doesn't run that close
to the side OF the r6ad, espe.
cIally at night, unless there's
some reason for it.. And 4 driver
with ordinary good eyesight can
see 4 group Of five people ahAad
=
no further away than sixty .1DSt.
several cark passed the, greup
while they stood there, according
q the testimony. Why was this
one car so near the edge, and
why was this experienced driver
unable 10 see group Of five peo.
pie in his path?
'sFfis statement that he was
blinded BY the lights Of d car
passing in The opposite direction
answers Both those questions, and
it's the only rational explanation
s'It accounts for his being 80
near the edge Of the roAd--Any
driver gets 40 far away a. he
can from ore Of those fellows.
And Il accounts for his failure
to se4 the people In front Of him
-~ohe Of those 21-cahdlA.p6wer
lights in your eye will keep you
from seeing more than that.
THE headlight regulation says
In effect Have this powerful
beam shooting out Of your lamp,
but be careful you don't blind any
one with it,"
Danger In Beams
THAT 10 contrary to all expert
Ance. The way to avoid danger
is to eliminate dangerous things
wherever possible.
we no longer hope to prevent
deaths at grade crossings, for In.
stance, BY telling motorists to be
careful. We know the only way
to eliminate the danger is to
eliminate the grade crossings.
A beam Of powerful light six or
eight hundred feet long IL 4 dan
eSfous thing to have on the AiKh-
way, no matter how carefully ad-
justed 1t ID. It will jar out Of
Adjustment. A sag Of half an
inch In the rear spring will cock
the beam up three feet In ito 600.
foot length. An extra heavy per.
son In the rear seat will do thAt.
We hope the director won't Be
too kinicky and demand any more