Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-22
Highway Safety Program
Records Progress in Year
BY HARDEN COLFAx.

Santa Claus and his hardy reindeer
Will find their long journey q little
more safe from the hazards Of trafnc
Tuesday night than at any time since
the highways have presented their null
tiple dangers, and next year it Is hoped
they Will discover all even greater I'M
provement.
Some nine committees and subcom-
mitteeS OF the National Conference on
Street and Highway Safety, which func-
tons under the Craftsmanship of the
secretary OF Commerce, met in Wash
1ngton last week to survey the work
accomplished and outline plans for
more intensive effort to bring about
order in the movement Of urban and
rural trafiic and to increase the margin
OF safety. A meeting Of the conference
itself Is to be called for some date in
May or June. The first conference was
held in 1924 and the second In 1926.
Testifying to the widespread interest
In this subject, sthe committee meetings
here last week attracted more than a
hundred business and professional men
from SO States in all sections Of the
country, who gave their time and paid
their expenses.
Efforts are to be made to induce
more States to adopt and put into prac-
tice the uniform code promulgated by
the conference in 1925, the principles Of
! which were reafirmed by the commit
z teemen here last week. There are sew
eral sections Of this code and some
parts have been adopted by IS States
The unhappy record Of 1928, when
more than $1,000 lives were lost In
street and highway accidents in the
| united States, and hundred thousand
other persons were injured, will be ex-
ceeded by 1929, 1t is indicated by pre-
liminary reports. Some part of the
! increase may be attributed to more
accurate reporting of accidents, but the
curve actually Is also upward. Trafic
accidents now are costing the Nation
more than a billion dollars . year, it
Is estimated by the Department of
Commerce. Yet physical hazards have
been reduced.
Several steps have been determined
upon by the committee on protection
OF railway grade crossings and high
way intersections, which had four sub
committees in session last week.
Spokesman for the outdoor advertising
association volunteered at the meeting
to have q survey conducted by that
organization with the object of remov-
ing to a proper distance any advertis-
| ing signs under its control which NAV
obstruct the view OF either q railroad
grade crossing or highway intersec-
ton. 1t was recommended that rail-
road section gangs and the road crews
! of State and county highway depart
| mentS take advantage of the Winter
months to remove brush and other
distractions which prevent q clear view
| Of crossroads and grade crossings.
To eliminate the railroad grade cross
ings in the United States by subwavs or
viaducts would cost more than $35 600
100000, and would require many wears
Of continuous work. Elimination Is on
the program only with q relatively few
points, otherwise improvement of con
ditions to reduce the hazard Is the Ain,
The railroads spent more than SCI OO0 :
900 last year in grade crossing elimina-
ton and improvement, and the 1900
record Of similar expenditures viii he
a comparable figure.
| d
So far rs grade crossing Ia CONCERNED
much depends upon warning devices