Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-07
BY II. CLIFFORD BROKAW,
AutoYYnobtle Technical Adviser.


This is the time of year when millions
of children have finished Summers
vacation and are back at their school
buildings for further education. 1t is
a good time to bring to the attention
of the motoring public that at certain
times of the school day many small pc
destrians will be afoot. children who
haven't the experience always to wisely
look after their own safety as they
cross streets full of automobile trafi1c.
Some special attention needs to be given
to this important group by those who
are driving cars. And special attention
needs to be given by all citizens as to
how these youngsters can best be pro-
tected from being involved IN automo-
bile accidents.
Importance Not Realized.
The Importance of such concern Is
probably not realized very extensively.
although in many cities women's clubs
and the public schools include in their
programs education in safety for chill
dren. The problem of protecting chill
dren from injury to themselves through
the automobile Is very important one,
particularly when We appreciate the
fact that nearly one-third OF all per-
sons killed through such accidents eacn
year are children, and children in the
first few years of their school life: The
children themselves cannot be blamed,
for they do not have the ability to rec
og1ize all the elements of danger. The
drivers of the cars that hurt them or
the parents or persons who have them
in custody are mainly responsible.
Children have very little foresight
into possible consequences; they 90 not
know what they are going to do the
next moment any more than the adult
can anticipate what they might do. In
most cases they run headlong into dan
ger on the streets because they have
not been taught sufficiently that there
is danger on the thoroughfare. But
one can teach children to be careful
when on the street, to be a little
thoughtful, to stop and look just as
one can teach them their school les
! sons. If child is too young to receive
instruction, its activities should pe re-
stricted to such places as are saIe'
Safety Talks Needed.
| Health instruction is now common
enough procedure in every well regu-
lated home, and children are taught 10
grow I'D with habits of cleanliness. the
| habit of caution when out on the street
can be taught to children as well, ana
| given lust as important place In the
mind of the child. The number OF &C
| cidents to child life is greatly influenced
| by the attitude which parents take upon
| the problem. A simple little rule Wmcn q
parent can instill in the mind of child
and repeat every time there is occasion
| to cross the street is: when start to
| cross the street look to the left and
when I get to the middle of the street
! look to the right"
| Perhaps civic agencies, as, for In
| stance, the public schools, have oppor-
tunity to play the largest role in the
matter of safety instruction and IN
reaching the community with safety
ideas. Not only the children. but par
| ents as well, can be reached through the
medium of the class room, through the
systematic daily instruction which can
| be given there, because messages carry
from school into the home, particularly
when the children have become en-
thusiastic advocates of that in which
/ they are interested, and the idea OF
safety can be made to appeal to them.
Parents seldom turn deaf ears to their
children and the home can become a
little center of inflence to propagate the
| idea of safety in the streets.
Children should not only be equipped
| to cope with the environment in which
| they will find themselves as adults, but
also that in which they live as children.
Considerable of their time is spent out
doors and much of it in the streets.
The danger of oncoming vehicles is
vitality part of their environment, and
one feels that the prime consideration
is to train child to preserve his life
and limbs.
! Some schools have tried out the idea
of appointing a patrol, few children
from each class to guard when school
is dismissed by warning other children
just before they cross the street, or to
stand at street corners near the school
and allow their little playmates to cross
only with the traffic. In some schools