The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1943-11-11
/
= @ ID AY
and
TOMOR ROW
By DON ROBINSON /
HOME
By DON ROBINSON
dangerous

There is no place like home
for an accident.
I don't know where the ex-
preston safe at home" came
from, but the figures complied
each year on causes of accidental
deaths indicate that a home is
about as safe a place to be as the
middle of a railroad track.
In 1912, for instance, of $4,000
people who were killed acciden-
tally, 10000 died from home ac-
cidents accidents such as falls,
burns, explosions, fires and shoot
ing guns which weren't supposed
to be loaded.
There are a number of other
surprising facts which are dis
closed each year by the statistics
on accidents. If most of us were
asked to name the most danger
GUS occupation, we would be apt
to pick such things as heavy in
ductries or railroading-but few
would ever thing of what is ac-
tually the greatest occupatiOnal
cause Of death-namely, farming.
The figures show that of 1880
work accidents in 1912, 4,400 oc-
CURED on farms, while manufac-
turing, which employs almost
twice as many people, accounted
for only 300 accidental deaths.
The figures indicate, however,
that if you are a farmer you are
safer at work than in the home
or in your car or truck. Next to
home accidents, the major cause
of accidental death is motor We
hicle accidents-which accounted
for 28,200 deaths in 1912.
Even with the terrific battles
which are now going on in Eu-
rope, it is unlikely that as many
Americans will die on the battle
front in 1913 as will succumb to
accidents in the U. S. A.
TRAVEL automobiles
Recent train wrecks and air
plane crashes have made a lot of
people jittery about using either
OF those means of transportation,
but even with the wartime linn
ltatlonS on automobile traffic you
are a lot safer on train or in a
plane than you are driving your
own automobile.
The National Safety Council
analysed transportation deaths in
1912 by the number of miles COW
cred by each vehicle and found:
for every 100 million miles of
automobile travel 1913 people
were killed; for every 100 mil
lion miles travelled by plane 3.8
people were killed; and for ev-
cry 100 million miles travelled bv
railroad only 018 people were
killed.
1t is evident from these figures
that railroads continue to be bv
far the safest means of travel.
And when non-fatal accidents are
taken into consideration, the ra-
ito OF safety for railroads and air
planes is greatly increased and the
danger of the automobile is null
tlplled many times. No exact fig
ures are available on airplane
travel, but, according to the Inter
state Commerce commission, the
non-fatal injuries for railroad ac-
cldents totaled 47,782 (Which in
Guided many Embarrassing ac-
cldents) while the number hurt,
but not killed by automobiles was
we'll over a million.
Automobile accidents, because
each involves only a few people,
seldom make big newspaper head |
lines, but when all of the minor
accidents are gathered together
the total damage is tremendous.
CAUSES Snead
There isn't much anyone can do |
about the accidents which occur
red in 1912. The post-mortem
figures are of little use unless
they can be used to prevent a
repetition of this tragic story of
sudden death, of injury and of
huge financial loss.
Although over a period of years
effective steps have been taken
to cut down accidents in indus
trial plants, in construction work
and even on farms-the toll from
automobiles continues to be diff
ficult to curb because it requires
the cooperation of so many mil
lions of individuals.