Evening star., 1935-09-21
What Are You Doing
To Lessen the HideOuS
Toll of Young Victims ?
Do You Know Where Your Child Is This Very
Minute-Is He Safe Where You
Can See Him?

lamb chops and solid foods, you
should follow up the "precept upon
precept" with example upon ex-
ample" If he sees you dashing out
between cars, to jaywalk across the
middle of busy street-if you pay
no attention to the signals at inter-
sections, and barge blithely across in
the face of the reddest of red lights
how can the child be expected to re-
member to always observe the rules
and proceed with caution? He copies
you all through the day in other
things; there is no reason he should
change his habit in this instance. If
you make him realize that you are
Just as careful as you are urging him
to be, your words will carry far
greater weight.
THE other afternoon, as was going
home from the Office, at the peak
of the rush hour, my car halted at
busy corner when the lights flashed
from green to red. l was well back
from the crosswalk, along which a
young mother was hurrying a baby
carriage. Suddenly, from the here
tofore empty lane on my left a taxi
cab shot like bullet, and jolted to
shrieking stop just scant foot from
the terrified woman, who almost up
set the, carriage in her attempt to
dodge. The light was still red, but
in his insane haste, and desire to be
first to get away when the green came
on, that driver had almost committed
murder.
That is a typical example of driver
over pedestrian. But here is the other
side of the picture--pedestrian over
driver: On another afternoon, at just
as busy an intersection. all cars were
held up, waiting for the green light.
Finally it flashed on, and just as 1t
did so a woman stepped of the curb,
pushing a go-cart directly into the
path of the turning wheels. Drivers
halted, traffic was delayed, and every
body, including the woman, was in
state bordering on hysteria by the time
she reached the opposite curb. Luck
was with her that she encountered
group of better drivers-but it was
certainly no fault Of her own that
she and the baby were not struck and
mangled numerically.
If women would only learn that
when they arrive at a croSsWalk when
the green light facing them has been
on for some time the chances
are 10 to l against their getting
across before the signals change! I
have seen them over and over dawdle
in conversation until just that mo-
ment when the red beacon shines
forth and then gayly make dash for
it, 1t happens so frequently that /
begin to believe many of my sex must
be afflicted with red-green blindness!
pUT to get back to the main issue
the child. After you have armed
him with all the weapons you have at
hand as protection against traffic dam
gerS-these should include intelligent
knowledge of the why's and wherefores
of traffic rules, implicit obedience in
their observation and a little good
healthy fear-it is still up to you to
keep him off the streets as much as
possible. Older children have to go to
school, of courSe-but the city and
the drivers are prepared for that, and
few fatalities occur in this case. But
don't send him on errands that neces-
state his crossing the street at dusk,
when lights are tricky and visibility is
at its poorestl Above all, don't permit
him to make the middle of the street
his playground and to get the impress
sion that darting out from between
parked cars is a smart thing to do.
Make him feel his responsibility as a
citizen and that it is his duty to as
sist in keeping down the toll of traffic
deaths. rather than to run the risk OF
contributing to the list.
X
YOUR child is your job. Stick to
it with every ounce of efficiency
you possess. You brought the child
here-it is your duty to keep it here.
not to send it back whence it came
like carelssly returned parcel.
Careless driver and careless par
ents-they share equally in pity and
in censure. for the fault lies with both.
A little life sacrificed-a small crib
empty-heartache and bitter agony
all because of negligence.
And forever haunting the dreams
of both the parents and the driver,
the vision of small crushed body,
limp and awfully still beneath the
heavy wheel.