Evening star., 1933-07-26

or any other municipality the usual
speed Of 80 to As miles an hour /
would say that the man who must have
500 feet leeway to cross In front OF a
moving vehicle had better keep out OF
the street altogether. He Is either
cripple or suffering from senility.
''12. Each day I see policemen plac-
ing tickets on cars who have parked
in prohibited areas, particularly ahead
of the $50 am rule 1 am unable to
see how one vehicle parked at a curb
interfeIes with traffic for distance OF
several blocks and the court decisions
are quite clear in damage actions grow
ing out Of such cases as described IN
this paragraph.
II have driven $4,000 miles in three
years. and my observation Is that the
occasional man out driving-the man
who usually drives his car only on Sun
days or a periodic long trips the real
traffic menace, and the one the careful
motorist must guard most against. get
disguised with the winners who are
constantly carping against motorists, as
if their right to use streets at all was
questionable, and as If the man at a
wheel is deliberate and intentional law
breaker. Traffic statistics in the Dis
trict of Columbia show that only about
2 per cent of all drivers can be classed
as reckless and negligent. Very truly
yours, B. c. c."
Pedestrians will see themselves por-
trayed in new and surprising light
in the above communication.
They will see cringing motorists in
all highways fleeing from the reckless
pedestrian" as that enormous weight
bears down upon them.
1t will be consolation to the poor
motorists, however, to be able to feel
that they are SO per cent perfect, or
thereabouts.
We are SO convinced that the pedes-
trian Is the crux of the modern traffic
problem, that we are glad to present this
picture of him. Surely he knows by
this time that the troubles that come
to him are adequately" reflected in
the statistics. Too adequately, We sus-
pect.
After all, the blame must be put on
human nature, whether afoot or awheel.
Let the courts and the hospitals sift out
the real offenders.
The truth is that the onus of escape
Is squarely on the pedestrian. and for
tunate is he if he heeds and acts &C
cordingiy.
The man afoot has little physical
ability to hurt the man behind the
wheel, whereas the most ramshackle We
hicle that ever went up the avenue car
ries vast smashing power in its in
nards
Let the pedestrian beware" Is the
rule of the road, in SO far as that per-
son is concerned. This comes about not
because of traffic rules Gin which, in
cidentally our present correspondent
seems to put bit too much faith), but
by the laws of physics.
AS long as the pedestrian is made
of flesh and blood, and a few bones.
and motor cars are constructed OF
steel and wood and other hard ma
terials. he had better look out for him
SELF that is all we have to say.
He had better watch out!
Some day, however, an enlightened
Nation, which has changed the old slo-
gan, Let the buyer beware" to Let
the seller beware" may in turn solve
the traffic problem by writing: Let the
motorist beware"
1t will be noticed that We use the
form may" The thing is extremely
doubtful Are problems ever really
solved in this world? Mostly they are
just made a little better-or worse But
if this one is made better, it will be by
cooperation on the part of all, for the
benefit of all, and not by calling each
other names. An automobile accident
is no fun for any one connected with it.