The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1938-10-08

dents. Last year at the same time
the total was 874 accidents.
The reduction, says Supt. Roach.
Is largely due TO the work OF the
accident prevention bureau and the
accident investigating squad, headed
by Capt. William Duggan, Lieut.
Joseph McEvoy and Sergt. Charles
McWeeney. He also credits the CO.
operation Of the public with the
police as an important factor In
lessetling the number Of motor We
hicle mishaps.
or last months 90 accidents,
there were 80 In which motor vehi-
Giles were involved, 10 In which cars
and pedestrians were involved, seven
In which cars hit fixed objects,
three involving cars and bicycles,
and one I1on-collision accident.
II Injured
There were II personal injury ac-
cidents last month as compared 10
IS in September Of last year. There
were AZ property damage accidents.
as compared with 80 In the same
month last year.
In q safety statement today,
Supt. Roach says that the cultiva-
ton Of good driving habits makes
possible the prevention Of many ac-
cidents. The driver who automatic
cally does the right thing at the
right time, he says, does not lose
his head when an emergency arises.
Supt, Roach saws:
"And then-out Of Nowhere
car looms up crosswise directly
ahead. There Is q squeal OF brakes
q violent tug at the wheel, q cloud
OF dust. We pull UP at the side OF
the road, trembling but unscratched
and wondering how we ever escaped
the seemingly unavoidable crash. In
such emergencies the chances are
that whatever we do which makeS
the difference between an accident
and the avoidance Of an accident
Is not done with conscious thought
or planning. 1t comes as O result OF
automatic safety habits we have
cultivated over long period Of prac-
ticing @ self-imposed and infexible
driving CODE.
Unfortunately, we have little sta
tisttcal data regarding the proper
ton Of our total accidents occurring
as result Of an emergency such
as the one ! have described. But !
am sure that all OF us who have
been driving for years will agree
that many Of the accidents we have
had and most Of the close shaves
we have experienced were the result
Of sudden emergencies In which
little or no time was permitted for
an analysis OF the situation being
faced, and no time for planning.
When you get right down to II, good
driving habits which have been so
thoroughly ingrained that they be-
come automatically operative In
cases Of emergency are, without q
doubt, the best safeguards against
motor trafiic accidents we can pos
sibly have. This does not mean that
the avoidance Of conditions and
situations which are likely TO result
In an emergency are any less Inn
portant or that the cautious driver
viii not have less emergencies 10
ueal WltH tHan the less chutlOuS
The Other Fellow
But even the most cautious and
careful driver will be forced to ad.
NIT that there are times when the
other fellow does wholly unexpected
things. Most anyone, therefore, will
be forced 10 agree that good driving
habits not only are important In
terms Of safety, but are we'll worth
the time and effort required to cul-
tivate them.
such q program of good driving
habit cultivation Is bound, sooner or
later, to pay big dividends In high
way accident prevention; not only
this, but also big dividends in the
personal satisfaction Of being our
own traffic law enforcement off,
GERS.