Evening star., 1939-01-22

proceed to kill lO8 men, women and chill
dren every day - and injure or cripple
four times that number for good measure -
we would rise up in surge of patriotic feeling
until we had ended that horrible slaughter.
We have such an enemy with us now.
Traffic accidents take that toll Once each
minute through the day and night there is
motor vehicle accident in which someone is
killed or injured!
All the weapons that we need to combat
this terrible loss of life and health are at hand
If we will only use them the toll of death and
injury can be cut in half during 1899.
In twenty cities over the country traffic
safety program that uses these weapons is
already in operation - and it is bringing
amazing reductions in the number of auto
mobile deaths and injuries. A 30 per cent
decrease in some cities. A 60 per cent drop in
others! Wherever it is tried it is proving sue
cessful 1t gets results!
The weapons used in this battle are the
Three E's'' - Enforcement, Education, En-
gineerng.
Those three weapons are sufficient to win
motor accidents. If every American citizen
will first understand just what these weapons
are and then insist that they be put into use
in his own community, we can save twenty
thousand lives in 1899 - more than fifty lives
each day.
Enforcement means strict administration of
traffic laws aimed to protect the careful, safe.
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punish the careless and criminal driver
Education means fulfilling the pressing need
for information and training in safety. The
vast majority of motorists and pedestrians
wa,t to play safe. They want to abide by the
law and prevent accidents. But they just
don't know how to do it until fundamental
safety principles are brought to their atten-
ton and safety habits are developed.
Engineering means eliminating the physical
hazards and danger points. 1t means taking
the pitfalls out of the safe motorists path
way. That's the big task of modern traffic
engineering.
We proved that the Three E's' will work
in my home city of Evanston, when we won
the National Traffic Safety Contest for the
best record in low accident figures for 1882.
1888 and 1885 And during the last two years
Accident Prevention Bureaus using the Three
E's" have been installed in Atlanta. Gin
cinnati Cleveland. Detroit and fifteen other
cities Memphis and other cities will be added
to the list this year. In addition, a Bureau has
been established in the Indiana State Police.
as proving ground for all the states.
The results in these Safety Cities" prove
definitely that this crusade against traffic
accidents is practical. Fatal motor accidents
dropped "a per cent last year, as compared
to 1887! Seven cities more than cut their traf
fic deaths in half Saginaw, Michigan, leads
the list with reduction of 63 per cent.
All of these cities also have made large
reductions in the number of people injured in
motor accidents. More than 25 per cent fewer
such accidents last year than in 1887.
And the goal for 1899 is to cut traffic deaths
and injuries in half.
1t can be done! The Three E's' can help
every citizen - every motorist and pedestrian
- accomplish this goal.
Let's take up each of the Three Els" and
see just how they work.
Enforcement, first. must be inte)igently
planned. Note how our officers of the Accident