Milford chronicle., 1927-08-05
ACCIDENTS INCREASE
FATALITIES DECREASE
tcontinued from first page)


to imperfect steering gear and to
obstructed view.
There was one mishap each char
ged to falling from moving truck,
jumping from moving truck, defec-
tive eyesight, fog, running OFF con-
crete and passing without proper
clearance.
The greatest number OF accidents
happened on Sunday with a total OF
72. Saturday was second with 90 and
Tuesday, third with Al.
The weather was clear when 2O4
of the accidents happened; 81 being
in rainy weather, in fog; z in snow
and "a in cloudy weather.
A majority of the mishaps occur
red in collisions with automobiles,
/ there being 1872 out of a total of 299.
There were AZ non-collision acci-
dents, 21 through collision with a
fixed object; 26 with pedestrians; 10
with horse-drawn vehicles; seven
with trains; two with bicycle riders,
! two with live stock and two with
motorcycles.
There were 379 passenger cars and
98 commercial cars in the six
/ months accidents. Others involved
were Is wagons, six omnibuses, two
motorcycles and two bicycles.
Two hundred and fifteen out OF
299 mishaps occurred on State high
ways; 29 on county roads; 4S in
| towns and seven at railroad cross
| ings.
The hours of from 4 and in the
afternoon shared the greatest num-
ber of mishaps, the total being 25.
From 8 to and from to 6 o'clock
were tied for second place with "a
each.
There was a big increase in the
number of females involved in the
accidents, there being "a as compar-
ed with 457 males. This is due not to
the extra carelessnesS or reckless
ness of the women drivers, but to
the large number who are driving
this year over last year.
According to c. c. Reynolds, Su-
perintendent of the State Highway
Police, the force is working hard to
make the highways safe for sane
motorists. But they are failing to
receive the support they feel they
are entitled to from some of the
| magistrates.
Mr.. Reynolds cites an instance in
which a motorist who was driving
a car was so drunk when arrested
in his car that the hearing had to
be postponed. When the hearing was
J et1nTpaittnd hxT fh q
State highway police who arrested
the drunken motorist and regular
practicing physician of Delaware,
that the motorist was intoxicated
when arrested driving the car.
The magistrate took some time to
consider the matter and then an
nounced' that he would dismiss the
charge of drunkenness and make 1t
one of reckless driving. In doing so
this magistrate protected the mo-
torist from losing his license for a
year and perhaps forever.
Superintendent Reynolds says all
magistrates are not so lenient on
drunken drivers.
The State police are checking up
on trucks without mirrors or with
the mirror so placed that it is value
less. The chief offenders are the car
riers that haul fruit, according to
MIR. Reynolds. Wherever the highway
policeman find car that is with
hut a mirror or where it is of no
Aervice, the driver is warned to cor
ect it and record is made of the
Ar. If the man is caught again he is
Ilnalized.
THAT some cars are driven without
bikes is being again shown this
, SINNER through arrests made by the
S9e highway police. Most of these
aTl second or third or fourth hand
! cal several years old and without
pr4er accessories.