Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-04
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL J.. COLLINS.

Is trafdc control keeping pace with
the increase Of risk? In 1917 autouo-
biles Of the United States killed i0,osl
victims Of accidents: in 1925 they killed
1854 While the fatalities increased
little more than twosold. the number
OF automobiles on streets and highways
grew from 4.ss3.34o IN 1917 20 22.o0i.-
500 in 1896. The menace, therefore in
creased nearly fivefold. Twenty years
ago there was one killing for every ais
automobiles In 1917, for every 494 au-
tomobiles there was one fatal accident:
in 1926 It took e46 machines 20 kin one
man. Hence it IS evident that efficiency
in preventing accidents doubled n the
last decade and quadrupled n two
decades.
The above figures are Official stats
tics Of the Y. s, Census Bureau. cover
ing 500 per cent az the population q
the country. Il would be interesting %
learn how many horses i used 10 re-
CURE 20 make one fatality, Z would
also be fair 20 compare the mileage
travelled for each death by veAiculAr &C
cideDt, for IL IS very obvious that TO-DAY
the world do move. and the accidents
are directly traceaole 20 the length o.
that movement IN year. IL wotsl6 nor
Re surprising x I: oe shown that the N
crease y. accidents would Be comparable
with the increase q vehicles and nile
age and speed. not n aTsshn1ei1ea! pro
erosion. but il gecnetrlcal ratio. speed
az travel must De taken into accc0r;.
l. We = ~ ~
run down by a tortoise or even 4 WOKE
O! cxen while almost any one GiS6e
collide i. II the path q 3 cannon ball,
The progress made n t.eeci1S tie new
conditions therefore. on the wScle. s
very ENCOURAGING. Systematic prsvc2-
ton az accidents IS advancing more
rapidly than the mass prcGGcgleD' o.
the !usse-nau,S.
II may be stated tha. While ii 1895
1.-THE latest wear for which STATISTICS are
availah!el the number cf accidents in
creased over 1928 IN Washington -
per cent, IL the creates, metropolis II
America the increase WAS only "A per
cent Schenectady. n Y. showed \ re-
daction Of &Ts per cent and 30 cisler
cities averaged us PER cent re<Iucs.oa>
Why the increase III Washington
There are "carpinS critics" among
drivers who pgCte>, that $>,ce ~ The
increased percentage ~ accidents Is
due ~ the tendency % police ~ strain
At guat and swallow canlesN Is ~
Enforcement Of the !nallnicraels sras6c
rules and regulations oo parking IL
stead VI mere thaycuShN guarding
againS, carele>SneSS III matters that lead
10 collisions or personal accidents
For example, they paint - the rreS-
Ulavity " Enforcement against tgS,h~
nicAl violations ~ parking, especially
IN The evenings, wleU. IL Is assumed
thruUsh experience, there Is otage iC<'-
Nay ;or parking than In the busy hours
~ daylight
Here is the typical tale II complaint
nj one automobile Victim, The driver
desired ~ park "cHwngown" fer haG
an hour, late one evening as acted
sign. No parking between curb sod
safety platform. bus an there MAS ~
safety platform" anyW here oA ttfsE
block not even a painted make lel'sNe
safety saGarc-~he assumed shAs tas
''vernctsn" did NOS really Apply IL taAs
lceale, but that the sian MAS msSelAeS'd,
he parked, ana when he rTtartea u
his machine later discovered ns'Ae
bit Of paper attached, IL blew eos ana
WAS lost before ne realised its nature
What could IL have meant bus kAes
Especially Was that ptxNcAese when. cut
II eurttsSitN. he inspected that identical
curb half an ht,slr later And StS><\SrSs1
three other automobiles lNA ttas 81 Eeet
without any DECORATIONS" Hes,te II
VAS e<a,,tneiNs that u No parking he
tween platform and cNse,' where there
VAS no vcSttsr e{ - p,attefaN could MOI
mean anything, exrees ~ twisted ~ a
tea,perameatal and oNeyoEttcs<sssS @-
stcer In what other line NJ NertnAs"
Is law engQsVement ~ ntvSulaee
Unlike Mark 1waiaS e>aaysaaisu about
the weather, with which ne declared
everybody found taust, eue nos<ssy dia
anstan.S about It, there are nAgN
engineers wstA are alert a. anasyse the
automobile situation and pgosSsSe rena~
sassS s'saaNG ssseasA the ''ss'eseSs"