Evening star., 1926-10-25
Bad Driving, Bad Bridges.

Two accidents, which solely because
Of a miraculous turn of the wheel or
fate were kept from being tragedies,
occurred over the week end on two
of Washington's bridges. In one case
a section of the railing was torn out
OF the Connecticut Avenue Bridge by
the impact of an automobile which
hung suspended over the deep valley
while the two occupants clambered to
safety. In the other, on the Pennsyl-
vania Avenue Bridge in Georgetown,
~ car slithered through a fiimsy
wooden railing and crashed nun
.ired feet below. The driver, much
10 the surprise of the Mortified wit
nesses, crawled out of the wreckage
only slightly hurt.
1t does not take these two affairs
to emphasize the need for caution on
the part of the motoring public while
traversing bridges in the District, but
nevertheless they do stress the neceS-
sity for a prompt and vigorous cam
paign on the part of the police to en-
force both speed regulations and eau
ton regulations on all such structures
in the National Capital.
Everything is being done by the
local government to make the bridges
foolproof. Heavy wire nettings are
being placed on the edges Of the cross
walks to prevent cars breaking
through. 1t is a travesty on the mo-
toring sanity of Washingtonians that
at dangerous places in the roadway,
such as any bridge is bound to be,
motorists must be Gagged in like ami
mails to prevent them from falling to
their death.
In the Georgetown accident the
automobile went through a wooden
railing at the entrance to the bridge.
This fiimsy railing should, of course,
be replaced Immediately by sturdy
guard which will serve not only as
moral protection but a physical one
as we'll. The Connecticut Avenue
Bridge, however, is modern struc-
ture. one of the finest in the District,
and probably nothing can be done to
make it any safer than it is at present
Inasmuch as no structure can be
made strong enough to Withstand the
IMPACT of a heavy automobile, 1t re-
mains only for the motorists them
selves to realize that speed and care
less driving on bridges will result In
serious accidents. To those who re-
Fuse to realize this most obvious fact
the police should direct their atten'
+ion. because this is the class which
menaces the life of law-abiding and
conscientious drivers by it's willful dis
regard of safety regulations.
If all automobiles are operated care
fully on the bridges Of the District
there is no more need for guard rails
of great strength than there is on the
sidewalks of the streets. At the pres
ent time the ratings will repulse the
impact Of an automobile thrown into
them IL the car is travelling at legal
rate Of speed. But no railing VIII
Wlt0SIdHu tIle 1IllIehNl Va - N~~A
twenty or thirty miles an hour which
has been turned into missile OF
deadly power by a collision.
Therefore the solution OF the prob
lem of the appallingly large number
of accidents of this description seems
TO be the Inauguration of deter
mined campaign on the part of the
police to eliminate speed and reckless
ness. The potentialities of reckless
ness on bridges are SO great that no
longer can the erring motorist be
treated with leniency, and no longer
can the menace of such practices be
ignored. The local government has
attempted to make the bridges as safe
as possible. With few exceptions the
structures have been made as strong
as human ingenuity can devise. 1t is
now up to the motorists themselves.
and II they do not respond to the call
Of safety it is up to the police to save
them from their own folly.