The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-05-05
HIGHWAY SAFETY CAM.
PAIGN

of IA States and the District of
Columbia, a group of major oil
companies, and the National
Bureau of Casualty and Surety
Underwriters are allied in a
seven months highway safety
campaign which was started in
this State Monday by Commits
sioner e. Austin Baughman of
the Motor Vehicle Department.
Throughout May thousands
of oil company service stations
in the cooperating States will
display the first of a series of
seven posters which are the ba-
sis of a broad appeal to mil
lions of motorists to drive more
carefully. Each will be shown
in a conspicuous place so as to
catch the eye of every patron.
The first poster, which is in
six colors, shows a motorist
holding the limp form of a
little girl. He stands in front
of an automobile and exclaims.
what Have / Done!," as if he
had just realized the conse-
quences of a careless act. 1t
has been praised as a most eff
rective safety lesson. 1t was
painted by Hayden Hayden, a
widely known poster artist.
Subsequent posters will de-
pict automobiles involved in
various accidents as a result of
traffic violations and driving
errors. Each picture will por-
tray a different situation con-
tributing to the heavy annual
toll of life, limb, and property
taken by the automobile.
In his announcement, Com
missioner Baug'hman said the
campaign is the outgrowth of
a similar project successfully
carried out in New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania last
Spring and Summer. At that
time the Eastern Conference of
Motor Vehicle Commissioners
and the National Bureau of
Casualty and Surety Under
writer's agreed that the gaso-
line service station was one
place where a safety appeal
would reach drivers most eff
fectively. The oil companies
readily adopted the idea and
supported it as their contribu-
ton to the safety cause. A
share of credit for the nation
wide reduction of automobile
fatalities and accidents last
year was given to the move
ment.
New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania will join the
campaign again this year, the
Commissioner said, as we'll as
Maine, New Hampshire, Mas
sachusetts, Rhode Island, Vir-
-ginia, West Virginia, Tennessee,
Vermont, Connecticut, Della
ware and the District of CO.
iumbia. Posters will be dis
played in nearly $500 service
stations. Last year only $500
stations were reached.
Although we are gratified
by the reduction in fatalities
and accidents last year, our
automobile death and injury
rate is still too high for a civil
lied nation" Commissioner
Baughman declared. Il las
year 29,500 persons were killed
and nearly a million injured.
We suffered an economic loss
running into the billions"
"We are aware, too, that re-
duced registrations and the less
frequent use of automobiles
were responsible for a great
part of last years better rec
ord. We are not satisfied to
stop here, and that is why we
are striving this year to make
our highways still more safe
for every motorist. The con-
slant repetition of safety les
sons is the best way to bring
this about"
Major oil companies cooper
ating in the campaign are:
the Texas Oil Company, Stand
ard Oil Company of New Jer-
sey, Gulf Refining Company
Standard Oil Company of Lo-
uisiana, Standard Oil Com.
pany of Pennsylvania, and the
Warner Quinlan Company.