Evening star., 1944-01-19
PUG Member Charge!
Lack Of Concern
For Traffic Accidents
Flanagan Cites Steps
Taken by Commission
To Improve Situation

Conflict within the Public Utilities
Commission broke out again yes
terday as Chairman James H. Flan-
agan and Gregory Hankin, commits
sion member, disagreed over whether
the PUG had shown concern over
the number of deaths and injuries
in the operations of the Capital
Transit Co.
In a memorandum to the PUG,
which ordered an investigation yes
terday into the accidents and safety
measures Of the transit company
Mr.. Hankin said he made a formal
motion in August, 1912, to make
an investigation, but that it was
tabled Indefinitely"
Since then nothing has been
done by this commission toward the
diminution of deaths and injuries
resulting from transit operation"
said Mr.. Hankin's memorandum.
Flanagan Replies.
To this Mr.. Flanagan retorted:
The memorandum of the mi
nority member which accompanied
this order would seem to indicate
that the PUG has not concerned
itself with the unfortunate situation
relating to the injuries and deaths
caused through the operation of
the transit system. Nothing could
be further from the truth.
In the case Of every accident a
representative of our engineering
department promptly inspects the
equipment on the vehicle involved
In every case, so far as I know, it
has been determined that the equip
ment was in safe condition. Com
pany officials have discussed this
problem with us from time to time
and have assured us of continuing
instructions issued to operators in an
effort to avoid such unfortunate
occurances.
The police department and the
department of vehicles and traffic
have consulted with us on ways and
means of averting such accidents.
and We have studied the coroner's
reports in every fatal accident.
We sat in on a meeting several
months ago of all interested parties.
at which time ways and means of
improving the situation were dis
cussed at length. 1t now appears
advisable to initiate a more definite
approach in order that the public
may be fully informed as to the
particulars of the various types of
accidents which appear most prev
alent and to enlist the aid and ad-
vice of other interested agencies
In making the year 1914 a much
safer one from the transit stand
point"
Investigation Welcomed.
E. D. Merrill, president of the
transit company, said the company
would be glad" to have the COM
mission Investigate. Although he
said the number of fatalities had
gone up in 1943 compared with 1912,
he declared the number of collisions
with other vehicles had dropped
approximately q per cent last year
compared with 1912, and the num-
Der of collisions with pedestrians
had remained almost the same.
Mr.. Hankin, in his statement,
said the number of fatalities in
transit operations had risen from
7 in 1889 to 80 last year and the
number of injuries from 1924 in
1889 to 2,l85 in 1943. Mr.. Merrill
pointed out, however, that during
that f1ve-year period annual street.
car mileage had risen from l5,983,-
600 to 25,933,00 and bus mileage
from 16,075,000 to 2527O,000. and
that there had been large increase
in the number Of pedestrians.
Asked about the safety program
OF the company. Mr.. Merrill replied
that a series of meetings are held
throughout the year for the opera
tors; that men with high accident
rates are called in for discussion,
of their cases and that all opera
tors involved in accidents of per-
sonal injury are also called In for
a meetinr.
A public hearing has been set
for February | by the Pic