The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-12-28
Vigilance Essential To Avert Accidents
Pedestrians Should Exercise More Care to Cut Down Annual Toll of Fatalities on Highways

is so injured that no coherent &C., count can be. secured, too much weight cannot be given this find ing. Car operators naturally blame the pedestrian without admitting any fault or contributory negli- gence on their part.
 Of the total injured 1,O35 were
 children and 1,072 were adults. In four cases this information was not furnished. It appears that adults, despite supposedly superior facilities and great experience, are equally as careless as children in providing for their own safety. Of l the greater variety of pedestrian | faults that of crossing between in- | tersections against traffic is the
 outstanding one with 531 cases
 where injuries were sustained for that reason. This occurs generally
 in cities, of course. There were
 APP accidents caused by pedestri-
 ans walking from behind parked
 cars or other stationary objects, 8
 advantage of walking against traf-
 is emphasized in noting that 26
 were injured when so guarding
 themselves while 123 were hurt
 walking with traffic. A special
 effort will be made by the motor
 vehicle department during 1884 to secure @ more complete report
 on all pedestrian accidents to
 check on the tendency of pedes- trians to walk with or against traf- fic.
 | Study of Shore Route
 The state highway from Green l iah fn NeW Inunn iu tbn hI1Sioct
 artery of travel in the state and is
 generally considered the most den-
 gerous to traffic of all kinds, pe-
 destrian as we'll as vehicular. Dur
 ing the first nine months of 1883 there were 43 pedestrians killed
 within the corporate limits of cities i and towns along the route as com
 pared with 16 out on the rural stretches. As has been expressed
 before it would biological to as-
 sume that adequate walking facili-
 ties were provided within the resi-
 dential limits of cities and towns
 along such a populous highway.
 From North Haven up through
 Meriden and Hartford to Thomp-
 sonville on the state line between
 Connecticut and Massachusetts 26 pedestrians were killed within city
 or town limits and nine were
 killed on the open road.
 1 Pedestrian Law Considered | Other states have enacted laws compelling pedestrians to walk against traffic and making it a punishable offense to disregard the injunction. Consideration is now being given to a legislative enact- | ment which will be suggested to
 the next assembly governing the
 use of the highways in Connecticut by pedestrians. AS the statistics in-
 dicate general laxness by city [ pedestrians in observing ordinary
 precautions while walking across | streets it is fair to assume that the l police regulations in our larger l cities will have to be drawn tight | CT and really enforced if any real | decrease is to be secured in the
 number of pedestrians annually in- jured or killed because of conflict with vehicular traffic.
 Inferentially, also is the fact that of equal importance with the con-
 struction of sidewalks in hereto | fore neglected residential districts or walkways on highways is the
 care taken by pedestrians in their own safety. Sidewalks are sup i posed to be provided in all cities,
 boroughs and villages for the com fort and protection of pedestrians yet the record shows that where sidewalks should be in general use the pedestrians find Ways of in- voIving themselves with vehicular traffic. Now and then accidents happen to people on foot because of motor vehicles riding up on