Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12
in the National
Capital has at last won
1,4 rvIoo lorn-oyic tiY1o

T UNIFORMITY in the National
Capital has at last won
out. The long existing
controversy over the left
hand turn was settled last week
when the Commissioners approved
She recommendation of William
A. Van Duzer, recently installed
director of the department OF
vehicles and traffic. This recon-
mendation asked for the abolition
of the rotary turn and substituted
in it's place the turn from the
center lane of traffic, prescribed
in the Municipal Code of Street
and Highway Safety.
Commencing September IS the
National Capital will join the
majority Of large cities in the
uniform left turn. In the city
itself all left-hand turns will be
uniform. Certainly the visiting
motorists during the George
Washington Bicentennial will have
q happier time.
Safeguard the Pedestrians.
In the making of the regular left
turn motorists will do we'll to re-
member that pedestrians must be
at all times Safeguarded. The
easier flow of traffic due to the
new turn will not outweigh the
endangering of their safety. This
will not be done If the motorists
exercise due care and conSidera-
ton.
The first official act of Mr.. Van
DuZer has been a wise one.
Uniformity must be recognized in
the adoption of traffic regulations.
Standardization is one of the key
notes to progress. Wise formula
ton of rules depends upon what
is best for the majority. Differ
ences in these rules when apply
ing to the same matter can only
The motoriSt of today does not
conf1ne his travelling generally
speaking he goes everywhere.
Uniform regulations aid him and
as a result aid the cause of safe
ty. Motoring must be made as
safe as humanity possible. Per-
fected machines and good roads
must not be overbalanced by I'M
wise regulations and un-uniform
ones.
Auto Least Responsible.
OF all the factors involved in
traffic accidents, the automobile
itself Is least responsible, accord
ing to studies recently completed
by the Albert Russell ErSkine
Bureau for Street Traffic Research,
in Harvard University. The per-
lection of the modern vehicle Is
such that human nature has not
as yet adjusted itself to take ad-
vantage of it's full efficiency.
mot only in number but in per-
centage, these defects in humanity
run SO far ahead of defects in the
automobiles as to make it inStan-
only ourselves to blame" states
the ErSkine Bureau. "The simple
fact is that mankind has created
a mechanical device which func-
tons far more efficiently than does
man himself. The remedy is ap-
parently education and more edu-
cation, to convince man that he
must live up to his car"
No less than 9 out of every
10 cars involved in accidents are
in perfectly good condition, this
report shows. Only one in every
10 accidents, therefore, can prop
erly be attributed to the automo-
biles, which leaves the glazing
fact that 80 per cent and over
are the result of bad human judg-
ment, human careleSsneSS or
human stupidity.
Accidents in Good Weather.
ut is generally known that the
overwhelming proportion of acct
dents takes place on dry roads, in
clear weather and in daylight"
says DR.. McClintock. Our studies
bear that out, showing 80 per cent
of miShapS on good road surface.
81 on fair days and 81 per cent
in daylight. If no other figures
than these were available, the fact
would be unacceptable that the
cars driver and the pedestrian
rather than the cars are reSpon-
sible for accidents, because me-
chanical defects would be as in
Strumental at night or on rainy
days or on slippery roads.
But abundant other figures are
available. Study of over a million
accidents reveals that defective
brakes caused "a per cent; lack
of chains, IA; glazing headlights,
1.3; punctures or blowoutS, IL,
and defective steering gear, lights
being out, and all other defects
together mounted up to only 3.8
per cent. The entire share of &C
cidentS attributable to the car is
therefore Ill. And this is on fatal
accidents only! In non-fatal
accidents the automobile had de-
fects in only per cent?"
Turning attention to the human
element in accidents, analysis
shows further that crossing be-
tween intersections accounts for
one-fourth of the difficultieS-in
this analysis, 81,527 accidents.
Other leading causes are: Chill
dren playing or streets, 20 per
cent; no signals at intersections,
IL per cent; coming from behind
parked cars, IL per cent; crossing
at intersections against signal, II
per cent, and crossing at interSec-
lions with signal, 8 per cent. Other
causes analysed included cross
ing diagonally, hitching on We
hicles, getting on or off vehicles,
walking or working on roadwayS,