Milford chronicle., 1938-07-08
DOWN THE ROAD !.
By Charles NJ. Upham
Engineer-D Director
American Road Builders Associ-
alton, Washington. d. c.
sEEINe IM lie pARk
s.s.4.s.ss-

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When night falls, Death stalks tn,
unlighted American highway. Th'
night driver has from four to tel
times as many accident-provokins
hazards to contend with as the mo
torist who confines his use of the
road to daytime travel. Steering a
motor vehicle over dark highway
despite the low volume of traffic on
the road after the sun goes down, is
as uncertain a process as a roll of
the dice. It's an extremely danger
GUS gaNe in which Life is always
the stake and in which Death usual
ly holds the winning cards.
Twenty-three thousand eight hun
dfed or so per cent of the 39,700 per-
sons killed in traffic accidents last
year met Death on the highway after
dark. The rapidity of modern,
streamlined transportation has cat
apulted the American highway user
beyond the security he used to en-
Joy within the range of his head
lights at a slower speed and in a
less powerful. vehicle. The headlights
of the 1888 model motor vehicle are
doing more than a good job when
they penetrate as much as 200 feet
of darkness. If you are driving at
the rate of sixty miles an hour, your
motor vehicle will cover those 200
feet in a little under two seconds.
Not much chance in two second,
in that limited range of visibility, to
clearly define the obstacle ahead, TO
make I'D your mind what to do to
avoid collision, to slam on the
brakes, to swing your vehicle
around and beyond the hazard, with
Death chuckling up his sleeve at
your frantic efforts. And, all too Of
ten, that's the end of you. except for
the fact that you are next day added
10 a string of, figures that last year
.otalled a disgraceful 2S,8OO. All be-
cause you couldn't see in the dark!
Night trafic-accident fatalities
lave increased close to forty per
,ent since 1880. During that same
,eriod of time motor-vehicle deaths
Turing daytime hours decreased
hree per cent. 1t has been deter
mined that your chances of becom- |
ng involved in a fatal accident at
light are twice as great as they are
uring the day. 1t has been further {
etermined that the cost of night ac- :
dents range from $4,000 to $4,000 a '
ile. r
Well, you say, I'm interested, but u
hat proof is there that highway :
ghting reduces the night traffic-ac-
dent fatality and serious injury
tie? One of the most convincing
lswers to that question is the four
ar study of the parkways of West
lester County, New York. With
yhts in full after-dark service, the
ito of day to night accidents was
%; with lighsing reduced 40 per
mt, the ratio jumped to l to 81,
I'd, with all lights turned off, the
lte climbed to / to 4.S. Here's an
her good one. Recent figures OBJ
lined from the New York State
ighway Department concerning
QUITE l7-C, at BinghamtOn, show
at highway illumination reduced Sc,
ght fatalities g. per cent, entirely
minated serious night injuries, vi
opped night pedestrian accidents
per cent and cut all night acci- vi
nts in half. An outstanding ex-
lple of another states interest in
hting highways for safe night p
wing is New Jerseys recent IL
nination of White Horse Pike,
nning fifty-six miles across the DR.
tie from Camden to Atlantic City. st