The Washington times., 1926-11-24

heated. closed car equipped W
achievement of the three goals
These were important detectives,
but not the most important. Safety
was the great target al which the
industry aimed.
The trend toward success is pIa mly
evident.
Every new model it better equipped
to repulse winter hazards. Every
conscientious car owner gives his
machine the kind OF care and service
Il requires to assure safer operation
over icy streets and through storms
Of varying intensity.
Accident statistics. however. fail
to give true picture of just how
much more or less safe the automo-
bile is at this season of the year.
This is traceable to the fact that
little consideration seems to be given
Tor the difference in car use in win.
ter and in summer
How many cars are not operated
Ut all in winter? How many miles
10 winter operated cars run? How
much less traffic is there in winter
than in summer. on the highways
rs well as the city streets.
Far-sighted manufacturers and car
buyers who know that a considera.
lion OF these matters is largely re.
Iponsible for the weakness of the
great majority of accident statistics
Ire proceeding on the assumption
that the accident rate is greater in
he bad months of the year than
n the good and that if through
greater comfort and adaptability the
automobile comes into use in winter
in the same scale as In summer the
lctual number of winter accidents
viii greatly exceed that in summer.
To meet this contingency better
tars. better serviced, are offered
Repeatedly those in charge of com
hittees looking into the causes of
automobile accidents have demanded
more accurate statistics. more in
ormative statistics
This demand has not been met,
lot even by the second national
conference on street and highway
tafety. hut the progressives have
lot been content to campaign for
more accurate figures.
They believe that a fact Is a |
act. regardless Of whether it is
Hated in priBtsor shouted from a
ipeaker's starld at q oonferenea:
: Accident Rate Maintained
They believe that If all the cars
hat operate in the summer would |
teep out and about during the cold |
Weather. and would travel the same |
lumber of miles. winter would not |
,e as harmless as it is pictured.
They, believe. too that this con-
tition of heavy winter use of cars
md traffic is coming and that the
situation must be faced as such.
They point to the fact that
wherever there is a quantity of We
ticles making a quantity of mileage
here is a maximum OF accidents.
This is already demonstrated by
Eatisties. An exhaustive analysis
II conditions in Cleveland showed
hat the highest percentage or 5a"-
.idents occurs at o'clock in the
lvening when there are more cars
IN the streets than at any other
ime OF day. in New York State for
he period of January TO July, in
lusive. 1925. shows that the great
ST number occurred between H:SO
ind O'Clock in the afternoon.
There are two reasons for this.
/ mere are TI1OES CARS va IiiC So w 60
his time and everyone is in a hurry.
suppose. however. that there were
he same number of persons on the
itreets and highways at A. m. and
that everyone was sleepy. How
many accidents would there he then?
The progressives among safety
Idvocates are wondering what the
mutation will be when the summer
took Of motorists are trying to run
,ff summertime mileage when
,treets are icy, roads are rutty,
.ngines are coughing and cold, pc
lestrians are hurrying to get out of
he cold, SHOWS are binding. rain
'reezes on the Windshield and
Irivers' hands are numb and cold.
Brakes Banished Hazards
The addition of four.wheel brakes
ianished a number of serious winter
hazards but this development Ell.
touraged hundreds of thousands vt
motorists to use their cars NOR:
khen conditions are bad underfoot.
There are. therefore, hundreds If
thousands more motorists to face
lumber of the hazards which have
rot been provided against,
1t Is realized by those who are
working TO make the automobile
truly safe for winter that not only
must cars be winter euuipped down