Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-04
HHE Department Of Commerce
announces that during the
four weeks ending April

announces that during the
four weeks ending April
- 10, IS large cities in the
United States reported COS deaths
from automobile accidents. This
number compares with 526 deaths
during the four weeks ending
April 20, 1929.
Most of these deaths were the
result of accidents which occurred
within the corporate limits of the
city, although some accidents oc-
Cured outside the city limits.
For comparison, the Government
department states, the number of
deaths due to automobile acct
dents within city limits is desir-
able.
Therefore, it is found that
within city limits 500 deaths oc-
CURED during the four-week pc
riod of this year, against 448 for
the corresponding four weeks in
1929. In the four-week periods
since May, 1925, total deaths from
automobile accidents for IS
cities, regardless of places of acct
dent, the lowest total Of 346 ap-
pears for the four-week period
ending March q, 1926, and the
highest of 842 for the four-week
period ending November 2, 1929.
For the 52-week periods ending
April 10, 1880, and April 20, 1929,
the totals for the rs cities were,
respectively, 8,675 and 1857, which
indicate a recent rate of 26.4 per
100000 population, as against an
earlier rate of 1913, or an increase
of 81 per cent in the rate in a
single year.
But, despite the growing fatal
ity increase nationally, there is
some balm in Gilead, or in WASH
ington, as the case happens to
be. For, according to the same
report of the Department of
Commerce, the following statistics
are brought forth showing de-
creased rates for the District OF
Columbia.
Comparison of Deaths.
For the four weeks ending April
10 of this year there were three
deaths due to automobile acct
dents within the city, against
eight for the corresponding
weeks of last year. There were
Sc deaths due to automobile &C
cidentS within the city during the
50 weeks ending April 10, 1880,
against 70 during the So weeks
ending April 20, 1929.
The death rate from automobile
accidents per 100000 population
gives Washington IL per cent for
the So weeks ending April 10, 1880,
against 142 per cent for the So
weeks ending April 20, 1929.
Not only does Washington at
present lead the cities of COM
parative size in the low mortality
rate, but, without regard to size,
the National Capital is about
sixth on the low list of the 70
cities reported by the Department
Of Commerce.
Compilations Of the local Traf-
f1c Bureau show that on the last
day of April Washington had two
traffic deaths for the month and
IS for the first four months Of
the year. In April, 1929, there
were 10 deaths caused by auto
mobile accidents and total for
the four-month period Of that
year showed 20 deaths.
Figures are said to speak for
themselves. According to this
old saying, the traffic officials OF
the city may well be pleased.
If the motor vehicle fatality
record during the coming vacation
season, starting in May and last
ing through October, is to show
any improvement over the total
Of the corresponding period last
year, motorists will have to stop
driving on the wrong side Of roads
and refusing to give rights of
way, while pedestrians will have
to exercise more care in crossing
streets, and parents will have to
keep their children from playing
in thoroughfares.
Such factors are only few Of
the reasons why more than 1900
persons were killed in motor We
hicle accidents during the vaca-
ton season last year, according to
an analysis of automobile acci-
dent reports made by one of the
national insurance companies.
Right-of-way Troubles.
Out of a total of approximately
$4,000 definite and asSignable
traffic violations resulting in per-
sonal injury or death reported in
States having nearly one-sixth of
the motor vehicle fatality toll
last year, more than one-fourth
involved failure to grant rights
Of way, while about one in every
six traffic violations pertained to
driving on the wrong side of
roads. Cutting in and out Of lines
of traffic was the traffic violation
in nearly a fourteenth of the to-
tai number of irregularities caus-
ing death and injury, and speed
ing was assigned as the cause Of
nishaps in nearly a fifth OF the
violations.
One of the most dangerous
things pedestrian can do Is to
cross a street at places other than
at intersections, about one-fifth
of the pedestrians injured in mo-
tor vehicle accidents being hurt
while doing so. Approximately
the same ratio of injured is
caused by people darting into
streets from behind cars parked
at curbs, and one-seventh of the
pedestrians injured in motor We
hicle accidents place their lives in
jeopardy while crossing intersec-
tons without the protection OF
signal lights. ,- &c.
A third of the automobile acct