Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22


A speeding motor car rounding 3
curve at 40 miles an hour. On tht
ether side Of little hill train rush
Ing along at the same speed, bisectins
the path of the automobile The sud
den soueal of brakes hastily damned or
and the crunch of rubber tires against
the metal of the roadbeo. A crash anc
silence. shattered only by the whine oi
steel wheels against steel rails as the
locomotive shoulders the long tram 10 s
stop, Air brakes protesting against the
sudden application. From under the
shattered wreck of what was once 4
shining. swift automobile crawls a man
his arm dangling, dragging 4 twisted
ankle sole survivor OF another grade
crossing accident Beneath the car lie
three Still forms, bruised and mangled
The modern iuggernaut has reached
cut and added three more victims TO his
EhaStiy roll call
Reaching along toward the middle Of
the Summer season Of touring, dust and
hlowoutS, Americas tragic traffic toll Of
accidents between moving trains and
moving automobiles appears destined 10
write q new record for fatalities this
year. in spite of the ceaSeleSs campaign
Of the railroads against such accidents
and in the face of repeated warnings
from every quarter, It may be that the
American motoyist. with foW-wheei
brakes and the most modern automobile
equipment possible to buy, is trusting
too much in the machine. It may be
that he is becoming more foolhardv.
Perhaps bootleg gin has something to do
with IL. But the fact is that highway
Embarrassing accidents this year, in
stead Of being on the down grade. are
increasing both In number and III their
toll Of precious lives.
Gain Over Last Year.
Official figures obtained from the
railroads place the number of accidents
at grade crossings in the first four
months of this year at 1926, against
l746 for the same perior last year.
Twenty-nine more persons have been
killed in this modern race for life than
during the first four months of 1927.
and If the ratio keeps up 1927 will set
Q new high record for fatal highway
grade crossing accidents. Six hundred
and ninety-eight persons met death in
the first four months ek the year in
grade crossing accidents. against 669 for
the same period last year Persons in
jured totsled 2.072 in the first quarter
Of the year, while but 1899 we're in
Jured from the same cause in the COM
EATapie pSEk0G Oh lg4F.
This should be ample proof that
America awheel is either trusting too
much in mechanical equipment or Is
more deficient in caution than in other
years. The figures come closely on the
heels of a statement by the American
Railway Association that highway grade
crossing deaths last year dropped con-
siderably in number below the total Of
the preceding year This statement said
that Notwithstanding an increase of 5
Der cent in the number of automobiles
In operation in 1927 compared with the
preceding year and an increase of 10 per
cent in the number of fatalities due to
operation Of motor vehicles on the high
ways. there was decrease of 4 per cent
last year IN the number of persons killed
as result of grade crossing accidents.
One fatality due to the operation of
motor vehicles occurred for each ga
motor vehicles in operation. while there
was grade crossing fatality for each
1I,Ti5 automobiles.
Eliminate Grades.
One fact stands out of this situation.
which stands as a monument to Aneri-
can recklessness-a black -draped tomb
stone standing guard over the crushed
bodies of 1000 victims Of the juggernaut
annually,
The railroads are doing everything
within their power to cut down the toll
Of lives.
Manifestly the one sure way to elm
mate all grade crossing accidents and
protect American motorists from their
own fooIhardiness is to eliminate the
grade crossings themselves. Viaducts
or bridges would serve the problem by
eliminating the causes of the accidents
But it is also perfectly obvious that
10 undertake such a program as elm
nation of all grade crossings would
bankrupt the railroads. For engineers
have gone into the subject of cost ex-
haustiyeiy and have estimated that
complete elimination OF all death-trap
grade crossings In the United States
would cost twenty billions of dollars.
When ii is realized that the total cap
atzltzaftor Of the common carriers by