Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-17
TRAFFIC CONTROL BY LIGHTS
HELD ASSURING PERMANENCE
Test in Wide Congested Area Proves Efec-
tiveness, Despite Calamity Howlers,"
as Viewed by Member of Police Force.

''bawling out" for some real or fancied
traffic slip.
The main objection some people find
with these lights is that they do not
permit them to travel as fast as they
would like to. But think with the ma
jority, however, in that it Is infinitely
more preferable to travel along in peace
and security even If you do have to pro-
coed little more leisurely. At least
you are not always afraid that the next
corner will be your last one on earth,
There is such thing as give and take
in this world. but lot OF people never
seem to have heard of it. When this
type approaches a corner they proceed
past without even Stacking their pace,
scarcely deigning to glance to the right
or left. They do not know or care II
the other fellow is closer to the inter-
section than they are. This type de-
ponds on the other fellow doing the
looking out. They take advantage of
the other fellows rights without regard
or caution and If an accident does &C.
cur, they are usually of the type that
will swear to anything in an attempt
to make themselves out as in the right
Chart Shows Accidents.
There is very interesting chart kept
in the Office of the Traffic Director,
which by means of vari-colored pins.
shows the number of accidents that
occur on various streets during the
course of the year.
To take Sixteenth street for example:
This map shows that before the lights
were installed on this street, it was
one of the most prolific as regards
accidents. A look at the chart for the
year just before these lights were in
| stalled shows an almost unbroken line
of pins and some of them punched to
show that more than one accident
occurred at some particular corner or
spot, but a glance at the chart for the
last year shows an amazing improve
ment. Even a casual survey of these
| charts Is enough to convince one that
these lights go long way toward les
sening accidents.
Another important function they have
| is to help to fit the responsibility in
| section. 1t Is practically impossible
for both parties to have been right. in
the case of an accident occurring at
an intersection controlled by these
lights. One must have been wrong.
One must have disobeyed the lights.
| And usually there are disinterested
| witnesses. pedestrians, ETC., who have
seen it. and are in a position to state
who was in the wrong as regards pro-
ceeding in violation of the lights.
I have personally been connected
with a good many accidents, in my
capacity of policeman, where both par
ties maintained firmly that they each
were in the right. Probably in some
cases they both honestly thought they
| were.
In any event the person who has
the unhappy task Of trying to deter
mine who was in the wrong has a
hard job on their hands. 1t is very
hard to determine which one was going
| the faster or which one should have
slackened or stopped and let the other
by. Each one is almost sure to say
that he was the one closest to the
corner and was proceeding slowly, but
that the other fellow was travelling so
fast he couldn't stop and so cut him
off. When there are lights installed
| on a corner, however. all one has to
| do is discover-if possible-which one