Imperial Valley press., 1935-12-10
THIRTY-FTVE NEEDLESS
HUMAN FATALITIES

If there were an explosion in down
Town Fl Centre, or Brawley, or Calex-
leo, and 30 persons lost their lives. the
tragedy of it would not be forgotten for
many years. Imagine 30 twisted human
shapes from which the life had been
snuffed almost Instantly Personalities
would be forgotten in the horror of it, and
all Imperial county would mourn the
victims.
Yet the lives of 35 persons have been
snuffed out needlesSly on Imperial coun-
ty highways this year, and their deaths
have been considered just a part of the
days news for most of the residents
here. The suffering and misery of close
friends and members of the families is
not taken into consideration. Just an
other fatal highway accident has been re-
ported in the daily newspapers
Not one of those deaths but could have
been avoided. The automobile slaughter
was needless, usually the result of care
lessness. When coroner's jury returns
verdict that an automobile accident
death was unavoidable, the verdict is a
false one. No accident, fatal or other
wise, is unavoidable. There are always
contributing factors which could have
been reD1edied. The greatest of these is
human carelessness. Carelessness is re-
sponsible for faulty brakes or other
mechaniSms. CareleSSness is RESPONSE
bic for undue speed or neglect of pro-
tective measures. Carelessness is respon-
sible for disregard of laws. Death rides
the highways on the wings of careless
ness.
If every driver. before he sets the
clutch and starts his machine onto the
highway. could realize that death or
crippling injury might lurk for him just
around the next corner, there would be
less of fatality on the highways. If his
driving could be tinged at all times with
margin of careful consideration, his
life would be safer
In every fatal accident involving two
automobiles, one driver is to blame. Some
times it is the man who is killed, and
sometimes the one who escapes. At times
the blame rests on one driver or the other
because his automobile was not in proper
condition. At others, because the driver
himself was not in proper condition.
Often the driver is to blame because he
did not take into consideration the con-
dition of the highway, or the possibility
that his machine might skid.
There are a million and one factors
which lead to highway deaths, but there
is not one of them which cannot be over
come. Neither the men who patrol
states highways on motorcycles, nor the
lawmakers who set up rules to safeguard
life and property, can prevent accidents
The only person who can do that is the
motorist, and the only way he can do it
is by realizing that he must look out for
his own safety, and make allowances for
what the other man will do.
The man who gets behind the wheel of
an automobile must realize that he has
the power of death under his hands.
That power, he must realize further,
might turn against him at any time.
Not one of those 35 persons who have
been hurtled into death in Imperial coun-
ty since last Jan. l believed when they
stepped into an automobile what they
would not live the day through. If they
had heard such dire prophecy, they
probably would have scoffed at it. Yet,
before the day was over, they were moth
ing but lifeless bodies. The same fate
might greet any motOrist.
Words cannot describe the horror of
an automobile accident death. Even to
those who have witnessed such accidents,
the memory of it fades because the hu-
man mind is constructed to erase the un-
pleasant things. A sharper memory
would do much to prevent repetitions.
On the motorist-every individual mo-
torist-rests the safety of himself and
others. He should strive to protect that
safety by every means within his power.