Evening star., 1928-10-21
BY CHARLES M. UPHAM.

Secretary-Director American Road Builders
Association
The daily cost of highway accidents
in this country is 2,26l persons killed
or injured and an economic loss of
nearly $2,000,000 During the year
1927 highway accidents exacted a total
of 26618 lives, 1887 persons seriously
injured, an economic loss of over $780,
100000 and property damage to some
100000 automobiles.
The 1927 casualties, according to fig
ureS of the American Road Builders
Association. showed an increase of 1916
deaths over 1926. Minor accidents were
estimated to involve $4,000 automobiles
every day of the year.
What do these staggering figures in
dicate? Do they mean that the Ameri-
can people are becoming inherently
reckless at the wheel of an automobile,
that our systems of traffic control are
antiquated, that the modern automo-
bile is in itself dangerous instrument
or that each one of these factors makes
its contribution toward the general
traffic hazards resulting in highway
accidents?
Number Increasing.
Since the year 1922, the number of
persons killed annually in highway acci-
dents has been steadily increasing. In
the former year, 19,203 persons were
killed, as compared with 26,618 in 1927.
Fatalities increased 38 per cent during
this period, while automotive registra-
tions increased 80 per cent. This would
seem to indicate that highway accident
fatalities are decreasing in proportion to
the number Of vehicles in use. For
practical purposes this is true. It is a
fact, however, that the increase in high
way accidents continues to climb stead
lily, while the annual increase in auto
mobile registrations has failed to main
tain its steady upward trend.
This is caused by two things-the in
crease in population and the wider use
Of registered automobiles. The Ma
tional Safety Council has made care
full study of the population factor in
highway accidents. The council believes
population to be the most important
factor In the annual increase of these
accidents. The American Road Build
ers' Association points out that in
creased population not only causes more
pedestrians to be upon the streets, but
it increases the congestion of pedestrian
traffic and the resultant confusion in
far greater proportion. This reasoning
can only lead to the conclusion that
the pedestrian problem in highway acci-
dents is becoming of increasing i'm
portance each year An examination
of highway accident statistics will prove
this conclusion to be true.
Since 1922 the number Of pedestrians
involved in fatal highway accidents has
been increased enormously. Today
more than two-thirds of all fatalities
are pedestrians. Last year pedestrians
were the major factor in causing ii 1857
out of 26,618 fatalities, as compared
with 11,765 caused principally by mo-
torists. In the first instance virtually
all deaths were pedestrians and in the
second large number were pedestrians.
Massachusetts, found that pedestrian
fatalities were increasing in that State,
while motorist fatalities were actually
decreasing. The same is true in virtual
ly all States of the Union, particularly
in those having large urban popula-
tion.
With these truths in mind, 1t must
be concluded that even though the
registration of automobiles should not