Evening star., 1936-06-27
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Shock attending an accident in the
streets, whether one is knocked down
by car. injured in collision or hurt
while riding on a public vehicle, often
Is one Of the most serious consequences.
Sometimes 1t is the most serious con-
sequence, all the more so because no
one, not even the patient or doctor, can
put his finger squarely on the trouble.
This is something to keep in mind, in
thinking of the possibility OF accident
in modern traffic.
While it may be believed that the in
habitants of the United States are suf-
fering from an acute case OF trafnc
"jitters." this is mild mental trouble in
comparison with the effect Of shock in
some cases
The writer here knows Of one such
case, that Of a tall, strong fellow, a
marine in the World War, who went
through five major engagements. even
had machine gun shot out OF his
hands. without suffering scratch.
Washington traffic, however, was too
much for him
An inveterate motorist, one day he
was walking when struck by a car round
ing a circle.
He was painfully injured, being
knocked unconscious at the time, but
these injuries were but the forerunner
of an obscure mental difficulty.
He discovered that he could not con-
centrate on his work Just where or
how this effect came about only psy-
chologist could tell. and probably not he,
psychology being in the confused state
it is in today.
We call attention to this case, IN order
to warn those Indifferent to traffic dam
gers that the physical side Of injuries
may not be all.
No one is so brave or so strong that
he can say positively what the amount
of his suffering may be II he gets into
any sort Of street accident.
Broken bones may not be all!
Let this warning be kept in mind, by
the person who walks, by the person
who drives, for there is no telling
whether one will be walking or driving
or being driven when the time comes
Education is the key to the situation.
The education of those who drive and
of those who walk. The first part Of
this program has been carried forward
with increasing vigor year by year. There
can be little doubt that it is getting re-
suits, although far less than it should,
alas!
Integral with the education of the
motorist must go the education of the
person who walks or is carried, the
latter mostly In public transport.
The individual is the one concerned,
but you would never know it by watching
him in the street,
What is lacking in all the crazy walk
ing you see everywhere?
Why is it little children will run
squarely out into the street?
Lack of education of the individual to
the real dangers of modern traffic
This is the answer.
If we will not cut down the speed of
motor vehicles, which is the real remedy,
then we must concentrate more and
more on the education of all persons,
motorists and those afoot and those
being carried in public vehicles, in the
plain dangers of the road.
The open road!
Walt Whitman wrote a poem about
1t, which remains a model of its kind.
But the road he wrote OF was lazy
road, road filled with dust in Summer
and chickens crafty crossing it as they
pleased, and white picket fences, and
an old spring and a well house and
cows and sheep along the way.
Such roads still exist. but they are
concrete now and are filled with ele-
ments of speed and its dangers.
1t isn't any fun any longer to walk
along most country roads. Motorists say
1t isn't any pleasure to drive along them!
We have wonderful roads, but nobody
en- inus them Surely something is wrong