Evening star., 1929-06-30
MOTORISTS DIGEST
BY CLAYTON GRAFT.

According to almost complete returns
| now available at the United States
Census Bureau, approximately 10000
persons in the United States lost Their
lives in 1928 through some sort of ac-
| cident. Exact figures cannot be given
as few States have not reported in
full. Since the population of the United
! States is constantly increasing, few
comparisons are made on a basis pei
| 100, 900 population.
The trend of all accidents, exclud-
| ing automobiles, is downward, having
| dropped from 1872 to $50 per 100,0 900
during the 10 years previous to 1928
Automobile accidents are steadily in
In 1918 deaths resulting from motor
accidents amounted to 93 per 100 O0C
| population. Each year has seen fairly
even increase until the 1928 figures
show 20.3. The number of automobiles
registered in 1928 was 81 ,379, ,125, where
as only 5,621 SIT were in use in 1918
Looking at it from the number of cars
registered and using 100000 as a basis
of calculation, the death rate has been
reduced from 1874 to 997. When we
| realize that approximately $1,000 was
the total number of our men killed In
| the World War, 1t reveals to us that ac-
cidentS oftentimeS right in our own
homes take more lives each year than
the greatest war of all time.
Motorists as we'll as motorists
could do much to reduce this huge toll
of human life by exercising more care
but it seems hard to bring them to a
realization of its magnitude. "Save-a-
life" campaigns have been launched ir
| several States. Much is being done
along this line in all parts of the world
Our Government should launch a pub
| licity campaign nationally along the
Save-a-life" idea to help reduce such
| fatalities. Locally, our interest is ir
the adoption of the model municipal
trafic code which is being used In
many cities with gratifying results
Most reports show decided decrease
in accidents after the model code has
been put in use. This is urged as be-
ing essential to greater safety and 9
| help in relieving traffic congestion.
High Speed Cars FOreseen.
The Society of Automotive Engineers
of the United States were in session
from Tuesday until Friday of last week
at Saranac Lake, N. Y. Nearly 1,20C
members of the society turned out
making 1t the best attended convention
held so far. These meetings are ar
ranged SO that representatives from
every branch Of the automotive indus
the motor car and make detailed re-
ports on experiments conducted in al
lines. Aside from their own interests, II
| is their big job to reduce transporta-
ton costs, hazards and inconveniences
to increase transportation safety, COM
fort and speed. AS regards the latter
from reports submitted, 1t was freely
predicted that within a very short
time, with improved highways, new
auto designs would permit Of passen-
ger cars capable of sustained speed
of 100 miles per hour The technical
/ meetings were SO divided into groups
that it not only saved much time, but
proved advantageous, in that member;
we'll versed in their line could be heard
| Valuable information was furnished a,
to the best methods of design, produc-
ton and merchandising of motor cars
The sports part of the program was
to have been a very elaborate affair
each day being full of new features
but the heavy rains interfered
Production Sets Record.
The Department of Commerce reports
| that automobile production for 1928
throughout the world has established q
new record. OF the 5,203,139 produced