Evening star., 1942-05-24
District Rated
Fourth City in
Traffic Safety
Survey Recounts
II Per Cent Death
Rise in ; Years

With q record of IS traffic IA
talities last year, Washington
dropped to fourth place in traffic
safety among cities of its popula-
tion class after taking top honors in
1910, the National Safety Council
said yesterday in announcing re-
suits of the 1941 national traffic
safety contest.
The council said Washington's mo-
tor vehicle death rate of 1873 per
0000 population was below the
average rate of other cities with
soc, 900 population or more, but rep
resented an increase of 8 per cent
over the average rate for the pre-
vious three years.
The announcement added, how
ever, that the analysis of the Dis
trict's l941 toll was based on Wash
ington's 1910 census population of
663, 100, and did not take into ac-
count the city's enormous growth
since the census was made.
The Districts 1941 death record
compared with 72 fatalities in 1910
79 in 1889 and 81 in 1888.
Law Enforcement Rank.
The National Safety Councils
analysis ranked Washington fifth in
traffic law enforcement among the
II cities reporting in the 500 0000-or-
more population class, but said that
increases in the number of police
men assigned to traffic has not kept
pace with the increases in popula-
ton. The report added:
The deficiency of men on traffic
work could be corrected considerably
by allocating more of the present
force to traffic. While there is al
ways the possibility that crime may
increase when men are taken from
crime prevention, a study OF crime
costs contrasted with the cost of
traffic accidents will show that in
Washington, as in other cities, the
traffic accident loss requires a great
er proportion of the total facilities
of the police department"
Washington had 36 men assigned
to accident investigation as their
first duty, but the council said 10
men should be assigned to this work
to equal the facilities provided by
the top three cities.
The city's child safety program
compares favorably with programs
in cities of comparable size, the
council said, but Washington ranked
low in the public education phase OF
traffic safety. There is definite
need "for a more aggressive and
continuous program" Of education,
the council declared.
Nine Recommendations.
The report contained the follow
ing recommendations.
!. Original reports of traffic acci-
dents should be filed according to
accident location.
2. More men should be assigned
to the traff1c engineers staff, and
more traffic engineering observa-
tions and studies should be made.
3. Traffic ordinances should be
brought into conformance with the
model traffic ordinances recon-
mended by the National Conference
on Street and Highway Safety.
4. More police officers should be
assigned to traffic, and better as
signment and training of traff1c men
should be developed More men also
should be on traffic investigation
work.
5. The enforcement index should
be stepped up.
6. Legislation to enable use OF
chemical tests to determine the de-
gree of intoxication is needed.
7. Permanent assignment Of judge
and prosecutor for traffic court
should be made.
s. Adequate bicycle registration
should be provided.
9. overall expansion of public
educational activities is needed.