Evening star., 1926-10-24
TRAFFIC EXPERTS GAUGE WORK
AT SESSION HERE WITH HOOVER
Recent Meeting Provokes Discussion of Progress of
Various Groups and Gathering Gains New
Inspiration in Safety Task.

in the several States of the uniform
traffic code which Secretary Hoover
and safety leaders generally believe
the greatest potential panacea for the
traffic ills that beset the Nation.
Although there were admittedly
some dark spots in the general out
look from a Legislative and other
points of view the consensus was
that there is every reason for regard
ing the future with great deal of
sound and balanced optimism:
Giant Task Is Realized.
That the committees are not ap-
preaching their various problems
with blind optimism, however was
made = cameO-clear at the meeting
of the committee AS a whole and at
the sectional gatherings. Commit
tee members evidenced full con-
seriousness Of the vast amount of ar
duous work that remains before the
Hoover conference and before the
organizations allied with it in carry.
ing out its manifold recommends
tiOns.
While reports from the Bureau OF
Census. as we'll as from other sources,
show increases in automobile fatai-
ties during the Summer months
which more than offset the improve
ment in the accident record attained
in the earlier part of the current year,
the committees generally were conf
dent that their efforts have not been
in vain and that further educative
work will be productive of highly
gratifying results.
A most encouraging report was sub
mitted by the committe on educa-
ton in schools. This group backed
up its report by statistics showing
an important decline in child injur-
les and fatalities in many sections
of the United States.
School Safety Stressed.
1t was pointed out by this group
that the schools of the Nation and
the school children should be consid-
cred the logical mediums through
which a large amount of missionary
work must be done, working on the
theory that it Is far easier to teach
a youngster the correct way to walk
than it Is to break an adult of the
habit of walking injudiciousIy. In
classification of the work of safety
education in the schools was urged,
and 1t was apparent from the atti
tude of those delegates present that
this feature of the whole movement
Is nndlng distinct favor and valuable
application almost everywhere
The presence of Secretar-. Hoover
at the morning conference was a dis
t1nct aid to the delegates in sighting
their goal, as well as in receiving re-
newed inspiration from the man most
instrumental in the calling of the first
and second general conferences on
street and highway safety. He opened
the meeting and set forth, succintly,
the problems most vital In the work
under consideration. 1t was evident
that the mere fact of Secretary Hoov-
er's being at the gathering, listen
ing to the discussions and asking
questions as well as interfering COM
n ent here and there, had the effect
of revitalizing the whole body Of rep.
resentatives present.
May Study Accident Cause.
An especially interesting statement
was submitted to the meeting by the
committee on causes of accidents
This group. one of the most impor-
tant of the entire conference. made
a specific recommendation which. if
carried out, will result In the begin
ming of an intensive scientific inquiry
into the whole subject of accident
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