Evening star., 1932-11-13
VAN DUzER BLAMES
MOST ACCIDENTS
ON CARELESSNESS
Declares Education of Auto
Public Essential to Curb
Traffic Toll.
"PERSISTENT CAMPAIGN"
is HELD NECESSARY
Reckless and Inconsiderate Driving
and Thoughtless and Indifferent
Walking Cited.

A study Of a years traffic accidents
graphically represented in large num-
Der of charts attached to the annual
report of William A. Van Duzer, d.
rector of vehicles and traffic, shows
that most accidents are due to care
lessness or inconsiderateness and not
to poor weather, road conditions or
mechanical conditions. This conclu-
SION, presented yesterday in his annual
report for 1882, led him to suggest
that the cure, If any, is not more traffic
lights or stop signs, but persistent edu-
cation of the motoring public.
ANY one who will tnoughtfully and
carefully study these charts" he wrote,
will be led to the inescapable con-
clusion that the chief causes of our
traffic fatalities and accidents are reck-
less. careless and inconsiderate driving
and thoughtleSs and Indifferent walk
ing and not to bad weather, defec-
tive mechanical condition or road haZ-
ards as many are led to believe.
Mental Attitude Blamed.
Even though we may continue tc
install traffic lights and stop signs
and 10 lane our streets to expedite the
free, safe and even flow of traffic, ]
am convinced that unless and until
the present mental attitude of many
of our road users-botn motorists and
pedestrians-is reformed, either by
education or by enforcement, the pres
ent accident situation Is likely to con-
tinue without great improvement. A
persistent and continuous campaign o.
education and enforcement, combined
with thoughtful planning and uniform
regulation, should ultimately bring
about satisfactory results"
Although the number of accidents
decreased as compared with the previ-
GUS year, evidently the accidents which
occurred were of much more severe
character, as cases of personal injury
and fatalities both mounted. The num-
Der of accidents fell from 1884 to 6,598
but the cases Of personal injury rose
from 3,610 to 1919 and the fatalities
rose from 81 to los.
In accidents where the drivers were
at fault, the principal causes, in the
order of their Importance, are given as
U carelessneSS at intersections, 90
reckless driving. (3) inattention to con-
Ciitions at the time and place. 90 toe
much speed under existing conditions
80 backing in parking, (6) drunk driv-
ing. Where the pedestrian was to blame
also in order, were I'd crossing the
street in the middle of the block, 90
stepping or running from behind parked
car, 90 lack Of attention, "a walking
in the street, (5) crossing against the
signal.
City's Busiest Spots.
Trafic surveys during the year identi-
fi.d the intersections Of Thirteenth
street and Pennsylvania avenue and
Thirteenth and F streets as the city's
busiest spots. The average hour count
for vehicles at the first narhed was ESQ
and the rush hour count mounted to
4,256. The average count for pedes-
trians was 1856 and the rush hour
count 2.25l. At Thirteenth and
streets the average count showed 2,43A
vehicles and 5,207 pedestrians and the
rush hour count showed 1918 VehlcleS
and 6,848 pedestrians.
These counts also showed that some
intersections, equipped with tra1nt
lights, were not busy enough to require
the continuance of the lights, and con-
seouently nine traffic lights were elm
mated. One string Of seven hgnts on
K street northeast, from First to Tentn
streets, was taken out, and two others
at Fourteenth street southwest and the
Mall drive, and at Thirteenth street
and Florida avenue northeast. There
were. however, e27 traffic lights in place
at the close of the fiscal year and much
work was done in changing some Of
them from fixed timing to the flexible
progressive type of timing.
The department issued 1882 auto
mobile titles and l56,960 sets OF tags
during the year, the difference being
explained by the number of cases where
titles were obtained for cars to be sold
as Junk and where finance companies
took out titles to cars seized outside OF
the District, but previously titled here
The department also examined 49,475
persons for operators permits, and
granted the permits to 36.518 persons
The others failed to qualify. The per-
mits netted the District $125, 1873 in rev.
pnIIe