Evening star., 1941-04-20

ton in the same period has been
cut 50.4 per cent.
Trathc Director william A. Van
Duzer declared yesterday that while
the Districts record of 80 deaths
was the best for the city in sew
eral years, 1T Is still 80 too many"
Seen rs Real Challenge.
After all" he said, this record
should be q real challenge. II. by
intelligent cooperative effort we
could learn how to cut our trafic
death rate in half in seven years,
we ought 10 find out how to re-
duce it still further in the future.
That is far too high price to
pay for the privilege Of using our
streets"
If the city's fatality rate had been
the same as in 1884, the traffic
director pointed out, 159 persons
would have been killed in 1910.
In its view of what Washington
did to reduce its traffic toll in a
year when deaths went up through
out the country as whole, the Ma
tional Safety Council called atten-
ton to progress made in the three
"Es"-engineering, education and
enforcement.
Examples OF the scientific studies
conducted by six men assigned to
trafic engineering in the Depart
ment Of Vehicles and Traffic in 1910
included preparation of 458 co..
hsion diagrams, 2l0 view obstruc-
tion surveys and 139 measurements
OF pedestrian and vehicle traffic
volume.
66 Walk" Signs Installed.
Sixty-six neon walk" signs were
installed to aid pedestrians in cross
ing Washingtons broad streets.
Trafic was rerouted In seven cases
TO facilitate movement and seven
locations were "channelized" to guide
tYaftc.
In the enforcement field the Dis
trict's Accident Prevention Unit was
established, with a specially trained
personnel assigned to investigate
fatal accidents and their causes and
to make detailed analyses of their
findings. OF the 1887 men on the
police force 152 were assigned to
traffic and another $50 devote part
Of their time to traffic. During the
year seven officers were sent to
the Northwestern University Traffic
Institute for special training. Fig
ures on the arrest and conviction
OF pedestrians and motorists indi-
cate the activity on the enforce
ment front.
In the field Of education, news
paper campaigns helped make the
public aware Of the need for greater
trafic safety, education was carried
on through the schools through
Junior safety councils and school
safety patrols and by such methods
rs painting warnings on sidewalks,
"msn on the street" radio inter-
views, posters and pamphlets. Many
other activities were carried on by
motor clubs and other groups inter-
ested In trafhc safety.
Widening Public Interest.
what has been accomplished is
rot the work of few" said Mr.. Van
Duzer. 1T represents the Cooper
ative efforts Of many groups. and
individuals, who are responsible for
a widening public interest and ap-
probation of what is being done and
what has been accomplished"
The grand award for cities in the
national safety contest was won
by Dallas and Kansas City, which
tied for top honors among cities of
$50 ,o0o- 500 900 populations. The
grand award for States will 90 to
Connecticut, winner in the Eastern
division.
The other city winners were Chat
tanooga, Tenn, in the loo, ,000-250,- j.
900 population class; Lakewood,
Ohio, in the $4,000 -1oo. 900 class;
Watertown, N. Y. in the Is 5,000-to-
$4,000 class, and La Grange, Ill, in
the l0.000-to-2 -25 900 class. In addi-
ton. the judges selected a special
honor roll OF l4l cities with popu-
lations between 5000 and 10000
which went through 1910 without a
single traffic fatality.
Other State winners were Okla
homa In the Southern group, Min
nesota In the Midwestern group and
Oregon La the Western division.