Evening star., 1939-02-05

Douy. len 1eet away was his wife, dead, a
little farther on was the mangled body OF
their child. The previous driver hadn't seen
them in time.
In Michigan carload OF college boys (cod
sober.i stopped at grade crossing to let
freight pass. Resting on an incline. the cars
headlights we're thrown high in the air, hence
when the last box Car rumbled by, the driver
stepped on the gas and ploughed into string
of flat cars. which he couldn't see in the dark
In New Jersey four pedestrians were walk
ing along "black-top' road one winter eve
ming when two cars approached from opposite
directions Blinded by the other headlights.
one driver drove headlong into the group
killing three of them on the spot
Such stories could be recited all day, but
the sum and substance of them all is that your
chances of being killed by an automobile are
hre times greater at night than in the day
time. Because. obviously, illumination is the
most inefficient element of our streets and
highways - and the headlight is the most
inefficient element of our automobiles.
This is even more important to the walker
than to the motorist because 70 per cent of
our urban night traffic victims are pedestrians
who enormously think the driver is going to
see them in time.
Daytime automobile fatalities have de-
creased slightly in the past seven years; but
nighttime deaths have risen 80 per cent in
the same period.
In Detroit. to take a specific case, the
establishment of trained accident squad
and other safety measures brought an imme
diate and permanent reduction in daylight
accidents But the accidents after dark went
right on.
What Detroit did about that, however, is
the cue for every other city in the same pre-
dicament. Selecting the streets with the worst
records - totalng 81 miles - the illumina-
ton was stepped up to a recommended
strength and records were kept for the ensu-
ing year. The net result. despite an increase
in traffic. was the saving of 35 lives, Is of
them pedestrians.
Night fatalities formerly outnumbered day
fatalities Ito on these busy streets: now the
ratio is Ia to l. AS a consequence, one hun
dred more miles of Detroit streets are going
to get dose of the same medicine.
That same medicine will work in every
other city. too, for our most deadly streets
today are our main traffic arteries. Represent
ing only tenth of our urban street mileage,
these busy thoroughfares account for half of
all night traffic deaths Which leaves little
argument about where to begin.
The gratifying experiences of other cities
likewise leave little question about when we
should begin. Selecting three intersections
with the worst accident records in the city,
Chicago authorities undertook an expert
mental installation of the new golden glow
sodium lamps. Fifteen lamps were installed
at those danger spots, at cost of about 81 600
plus an annual operating expense of 1866.
In one year the number of accidents at
these three danger spots was cut nearly in
half - and only one-third as many persons
we're injured As result, 26 people are alive
and whole in Chicago tonight who would not
be if the old lighting still prevailed at only
three street COrne7s'
Similar results have been achieved else
where by the same simple method. In Los
Angeles night fatalities at q bad intersec-
tions were cut SO per cent in one year, through
improved lighting Over hve-mile stretch
on st. Paul Boulevard in Rochester, N. y,
night pedestrian deaths were reduced SO per