The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-01-07

were Illuminated with sodium lights
such as are used at Salem Four
Corners on the New London turn
pike 1t would be a great help. Take
for example the rotary traffic ar
rangement on New Britain avenue
that one has partially to negotiate
in taking the Pennington cutoff;
1t is dark as pocket. Even drivers
familiar with the road easily get
confused there. Sodium lighting
would be Of the greatest assistance,
both to the wary and the unwary.
So many indeed are the hazards on
this new highway that many drivers
for considerations of safety, take
the old road through Pennington in
preference.
If the state can afford to spend
5000 on such a piece of con-
Struction 1t can afford to spend
enough more to make the road
reasonably safe for night driving.
The photograph printed on the first
page of The Courant yesterday,
showing the scene Of Thursday
nights accident in which two wo-
men were killed outright and the
driver Of the car fatally injured, re-
veals one Of the danger points on
this cutoff that needs prompt at
tention. The driver of a large truck
had stopped to inquire his way,
which would not have been neces-
sary had the signs been adequate
and If the intersection had been
properly lighted. AS 1t was, he had
just started to move on when the
Car that accounted for the three
fatalities crashed into the rear of
his truck. Whatever the official in
vestigation of this accident may dis
close, whatever faults of driving
there may have been, 1t seems clear
that the highway at this point was
not as safe as its daylight appear
ance might indicate.
But aside from easily read d.
rection signs and tho illumination
of traffic circles and Intersections,
this cutoff, like most Of the other
roads in the state, is not patrolled
as 1t should be. Seldom If ever does
one find upon 1t a state trooper to
warn drivers of their indiscretions
or to make arrests in fragrant cases.
The public had been led to believe
that the augmenting of the state
police force insured an efficient sys-
tenn Of highway patrol, but for some
reason the system seems not yet to
have got going. This may be be-
cause the state police are still too
fully occupied with other matters.
Although safety on our highways
depends first Of all upon the COM
potency, skill, discretion and sense
Of responsibility Of the individual
driver, the state nevertheless has
obligations of its own to meet. The
type Of trunk line highways that
once sufficed Is no longer suitable
for present-day traffic. Four-track
divided roadways have become, in
many instances, essential to safe
operation. Sidewalks for pedestrians
are in certain cases positive neces-
sity. Most Of the directional signs
need to be made more conspicuous;
they should clearly indicate through
route destinations to important
points and they should be suffi-
GENTLY numerous as to leave the
driver in no doubt as to what road
he Is on. Until night illumination of
highways becomes general, the par
ticularly bad intersections should be
adequately lighted. And finally. the
laws, rules and regulations that are
most essential to safety should be
emphasized by friendly patrol SER
vice.
All this costs money and lot Of
1t. But for the year just closed, let
1t be remembered, 436 persons were
killed outright or died as q result
of motor vehicle accirents in this
state. II this Is a reduction Of for
ty-seven over the previous year 1t
| Is nothing to boast about. The total
number Of reportable accidents
mounted to a new high, 1882, and
the total number Of persons injured
rose to 1905, an increase Of 906
over 1885. In automobile registra-
lions, operators licenses and gasoline
taxes the state is collecting millions
OF dollars annually. The more OF
this money that goes for the es.
sentials Of highway safety the more
justifiable Is the expenditure. Tho
state has no higher duty than to
attend to the conservation Of hui
man life.
III i. ~