Evening star., 1928-12-23
RADICAL CHANGES FOR SAFETY
DEMANDED OF AUTO BUILDERS
Boston Medical Examiner Says Cars Are
Diabolically Perfect for Killing Humans
In Their Paths.

MANY Of the deaths Of pedestrians
under city conditions are due TO cars
which are moving at a relatively SLOW
rate. Post-mortem findings from urban
automobile accidents lend themselves 70
relatively simple classification.
Result from Collisions.
Simplest are those from collisions OF
slowly moving cars with pedestrians.
The effect is that Of an assisted fail.
If, as is usual, the victim is facing the
car, he is thrown from his feet. If he
falls to one side his shoulder protects
his head and the injury Is minor.
If he falls backward, the result OF
the impact of his head on the hard
road is a fracture of the skull, with
injury to the brain and death in very
high percentage Of cases. In this type
of injury the victim is not run over by
the car. which usually can be stopped.
I'm urban automobile accidents 1t IS
rare that impact of the car produces
fatal injuries. Death arises from I'M
pact with the ground or being run over.
When automobiles run over human
bodies injuries include crushed chests,
crushed skulls. fractures of the spine or
pelvis. crushed abdominal organs, the
blance to that seen in railway acct-
dents. Mortality in this group is essen
TALLY 100 per cent If the car gets you
down. death Is almost certainty.
with these medical facts in mind 1t
follows, from the standpoint OF the Pc
destrian, that the prevention of auto
mobile accidents should include some
consideration of the structure Of tie
automobile. The automobile of today is
a horseless carriage. We have taken
off the shafts and constructed mecha-
nism solely with reference 20 the COM
fort and protection of the occupants
and the efficiency of the machinery.
AS a res,irt we 4.age ;Ss;saduced the naost
efficient civil-killing agent RGcWn. The
airplane in its present experimental
state is its only rival, on a minor scale.
None willing Victim.
1--WE speak with horror of the car of
Juggernaut, but the highest re iord OF
deaths under that vehicle was the kill
ing of % human beings at one time in
India. And it should be remembered
that all of the victims were ready and
willing to die. This modern Jugger-
naut kills annually in the United States
almost 1000 human beings for each
victim of it's less efficient Oriental pro-
totype, and none of its victims are
willing.
"The automobile has reacheN essen
TALLY its limit of perfection as gaso-
| line driven piece of mechanism. So
called improvements of recent years
have been largely trimmings. It seems
to me that this degree of mechanical
efficiency having been attained, there
is now time to stop and consider safety
devices.
Every new safety device introduced
into industry has been received with
jeers by employees it was planned to
protect Any suggestions of safety de-
vices on the automobile will provoke
similar reactions from the motor indus
try. However, the minds which perfect
the automobile and its methods Of pro-
duction should be able to modify the
present vehicle and check its lethal
possibilities
1.-The front of the present automobile
| could not be constructed with more
diabolical perfection were 1t intended
| to insure the death Of every person who
came within its path. One does not
suggest specific mechanical devices to
| the masters Of mechanics in the indus
| try, but modification Of the present
structure with reference to the pedes-
| trian Is necessity.
"There is too much competition In
| the accident insurance business to per-
NIT of adequate pressure for safety de-
| vices from insurance companies on the
| automobile manufacturers. The attl-
| tude of some insurance representatives
| is that a wholesome fear of death is a
good stimulant to business. The non
medical public fails to measure at its
real value the mass effect OF the deaths
and disabilities which automobile cas-
ualties are producing.
L. \ Lat As1S.~ 70
curb the death rate among the oper-
ators and passengers in cars. The cure
| for the present situation, with reference
| to pedestrians, lies, in part, in pub
| licits' which shall compel, in the con-
| struction of the automobile, conSidera-
| ton of the pedestrian on an equal basis
with the operator and the passenger"
Capt George A. Parker, registrar Of
motor vehicles, says: THE three fac
| tors are the highway, the car and the
driver, or maybe four, adding the per-
son in the street. We have plenty Of
laws to try to encourage safety. We
| have had safety campaigns with some
good result. But there is always per-
centage who refuse to cooperate In
anything.
|The best evidence of this was that
during our safety campaign, when ! re-
QueStSQ ulOIOL1SCo W AdEC tACn CaAS
checked up and get Sticker showing
it had been done, and that there was
little or no cost for doing it. thousands
of owners refused to do anything about
it. Then when my inspectors went out
on the highways and began checkup,
also the police department, We found
thousands that had faulty brakes, poor
lights, some with broken bulbs, etc.
After they began to read in the paper
about 500 licenses being suspended and
plates taken away the first day, and
like amounts other days until thou
sands were put off the highways tenl-
porarily or permanently, there was a
rush to cooperate. 1t is not surpris-
ing, therefore, when We know these
facts, that we have many fatalities. I
am glad some one has started on an
other angle, and shall watch the out
come of DR.. Leary's statement"