Evening star., 1928-12-30

as the widening of streets. the securing
of rights of way for wider boulevards
and the elimination Of bottle-neckS.
The work of the A. A. A. committee on
street and highway widening, of which
Charles NJ. Hayes of Chicago is chair
man, exercised a most beneficial influ-
ence in this field in 1923.
"The II months brought particularly
gratifying results in the field of educa-
tion. Particularly is this true of the
development of safety education in the
schools. The traffic and safety division
of the A. A. A.. under the chairmanship
OF William Z. MetZger of Detroit, COM
pleted early i'll the year a study of the
child accident problem, and recon-
mended course of study in safety in
all public, private and parochial schools.
This recommendation had the effect of
consolidating and extending the safety
work that A. A. A. motor clubs had for
years been carrying on in the schools.
Safety Lessons Distributed.
cat the present moment more than
1000, 900 school children are receiving
safety education in correlation with the
regular studies through motor clubs
Some 100000 school safety lessons and
125,000 school posters have been pre-
pared and distributed by A. A. A. ma
tIOudt HeduqudIGeIS IllOuSu It's safety
department in the last four months.
School officials have given excellent CO.
operation in this work.
THE development of the schoolboy
patrol is worthy of note. In 400 of the
1,065 cities and towns in which A. A. A.
clubs are located schoolboy patrols are
now established. There are more than
5000 patrol units, with more than 150.-
600 boys serving in them. 1t is esti-
mated that these youngsters afford pro-
lection to more than 100000 school
children.
las a result of this educational work
with the children we now have substan-
tial proof that the increase in child in
jurieS is not SO great as the increase in
injuries to adults, thus reversing the
situation some years back. This should
encourage all communities to support
the movement.
"One of the most encouraging devel-
opments of the last IL months was the
tendency of the courts to impose moro
severe penalties on the reckless, the in
toxicated and the hit-and-run driver.
The practice of many of our motor
clubs in offering a reward for the ar
RESI- of driver who left the scene of
an accident involving personal injury
or serious damage has materially helped
the courts in securing valuable evidence,
and upward of $50 hit-and-run drivers
were convicted and sentenced through
the single activity of organized motor
dom in 1923.
/. c. C. Decision Praised.
"The recent decision of the Interstate
Commerce Commission abolishing the
order pertaining to automatic train con-
troll devices and suggesting that the
money required for these devices be used
for the elimination of grade crossings
marked decidedly forward step in ac-
cident prevention. In 1927 a total of
2,371 persons we're killed at grade cross
ings, as compared with 202 persons
killed as a result of train derailments
and collisions between trains. Can VIC
question the wisdom of the commissions
ruling? Here, however, is a field where
organized effort has been weak and
which demands serious national atten-
tion in the immediate months and year.
ahead.
early in the year the A. A. A
launched brand-new safety effort.
refer to the movement for safety after
ward We recognized that the treat
ment of those injured in automobile
accidents was in many instances highly
inadequate. We had the cooperation
of the American College of Surgeons
VIC dDDEdlCu W JILC COukIbAy db &c III
behalf of the raising of hospital stand
ards. At the same time we called at
tention in no uncertain way to the am
bulance-chasing evil, whereby shyster
lawyers. Inscriptions doctors and their
Co-conspirators in police departments
and among hospital attendants were
converting human suffering into gain
The response to this movement, par
ticularly from the legal and medical
professions. has been highly gratifying
and productive of splendid results.
"As stated at the outset. there were
many favorable developments in the
safety movement in 1923. They pointed
toward the organization of the safety
mindednesS of the Nation They indi-
Gated that the best thought of the
country is being devoted to this gigantic
problem. But the grim challenge still
rides our traffic lanes and is entrenched
at all our crossroads. The determine
ton to vanquish it should constitute a
solemn New Years resolution for the
people of the United States"