The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1935-02-23
Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill
Perhaps the most powerful sermon
ever preached to the American pub
lie on the subject OF highway safety
is contained in booklet printed by
the Travellers Insurance company
under the above title.
The size OF a small magazine, this
document points no moral; 1t empha-
sizes facts. All OF its preaching IS
based on sound and dispasslonate OBJ
scrvation Of Americas greatest un-
natural phenomena. 1t shows not
only how $4,000 persons were killed
and $4,000 injured In motoring acct.
dents In 1894, but why they were
killed or injured.
Pedestrians, too, COM n for analy-
sis, and so We learn taa1 81 per cent
Of the 1880 killed and 2es $50 in
iured IN this classification were hit
while crossing the street IN the middle
Of the block or against traffic signals.
Eleven per cent were struck while
walking on the highway: II per cent
while stepping out from behind
parked cars, % per cent Of the cases
were those Of children playing In the
streets and 8 per cent were OF miscel-
laneous origin.
This booklet tells us that haste is
the greatest single enemy Of motoring
longevity. for man as we'll as for ma
chine, asserting that It is directly
responsible for nine out Of every 10
automobile deaths. Apropos of this
point Eddie Cantor is quoted as say
ing that, il the present trend con-
tinues, the time is at hand when a
man killed tn auto accident will be
said to have died natural death.
Persons who prefer to do their driv-
Ing in daylight are given statistical
support with the statement that, de-
spite the smaller nupber OF cars in
use. there was not a single hour OF
darkness during the year when the
rate of death per accident was not
higher than for daylight hours. Dur
ing 1884 there were 459,5l0 daylight
accidents in which $1,000 persons were
killed. The hours OF darkness pro-
duced only 422,490 accidents but the
number killed was 20,950, making the
rate OF death STA per cent worse for
darkness than for daylight. It Is
interesting to note that the highest
safe speed for night driving is put at
80 miles an hour. Persons who con-
slider themselves cautious drivers
might ponder that fact.
X X X
Another factor in the motor death
rate brought out In the survey is the
high percentage OF deaths occurring
from accidents on the open highway.
The answer to this is that cars get
out OF control at high speed and acci-
dents at such times often cause death.
Study OF the location Of accidents
indicates the decreasing importance
OF railroad crossings In this equation.
Safety campaigns have caused per-
sons to at least look and listen when
approaching railroad crossing and
only $3.50 crashes were recorded at
such spots during the year, whereas
1880 occurred at bridges, 1920 at
rural intersections, 42,34O on curves,
$3.50 on the open road, 286,650 be-
tween street intersections and 336,040
at street intersections. Lowest on the
list was $3.50 accidents to cars emery
ing from driveways.
No matter what the arrogant male
may think or say about women driv-
ers, the statistics show they figure In
a smaller percentage OF accidents
and thus have tendency to live
longer. Reduced to cold figures. wo-
men drivers are 81 per cent safer
than men drivers. There is cause in
that for Mr.. America to think long
and seriously.
X \ \
just in passing, and not to empha-
size condition which has long been
complained Of here In Bismarck, the
survey points out that more CONNER
cial cars figure in mishaps than IS
warranted by their total number. In
fact. the ratio Of commercial vehicles
in fatal accidents as compared to
pleasure cars was SO per cent greater
in 1934-and this figure was an i'm.
provement over 1888.
Supporting the idea Of licensed
driving Is the fact that the fatal acci-
dent experience Of unlicensed drivers
was % per cent worse than that Of
licensed drivers. Out-of- state drivers
had . 20 per cent worse experience
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