The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-20

Saugatuck, Conn, Nov. 17-"Traf- fic accidents are costing war indus try the equivalent of many shut downs year - and costing the country more deaths than the war" said William P. Enc, head of the Emo Foundation for Highway Traf- fic Control, an affiliate of Yale Uni- verSdty, at his offices here today.
 Foundation engineers cited figures i0 support this statement and Sug- gested a remedial program.
 As to the call for 25, 900 workers to meet a serious need" in Pearl Har- bor and California defense plants, MT. Enc said:
 Connecticut Suffers
 m Connecticut alone, motor ve- hicle accidents last year, according to Department of Motor Vehicles figures cost war plants 684, 900 man. hours = equal to full months shut down of a 3,300-worker factory. The average car-injured war-worker pedestrian lost 55 days from his job. And Connecticut is but one of forty eight states.
 Closer attention to known prin- ciples of trafflc control will increase production, not only in war indus try but in peace-time industry as we'll"
 In New York, Enc engineers point ed out, trafdc accidents have now increased for eight consecutive months. New emphasis on the tri- umvirate of traff1c safety - legis- lation, enforcement and road inn provement - is present and post war must, they urged.
 War makes six bad factors, said Burton w. Marsh, safety director of the American Automobile Associa- tion, Washington, D. O., 'at the re- cent Ena conference in New York.
 'The psychology of celebrating victory and reacting to relaxed re- strictions; police and other traffic personnel lost to the armed forces; deteriorated vehicles, signs and markings; certain bad road condi- tions; depreciated headlights; re- duced street and highway lighting.
 Our future trend, MT. Marsh said, twill depend on what traffic and safety forces do-and on what the public attitude becomes
 Read Casualties
 In 1941, said Charles M. Upham, Washington engineer and vice-pres- !dent of the Enc Foundation, traf- 6ic accidents killed more people in the United States than the num- Der of American soldiers killed in the first two years of the present war. And in less than 30 years, 614,- 230 people have been killed on our streets and highways-two and a half times as many lives as we lost in all the wars we ever fought from the Revolution through the first World War.
 As specific remedial steps, Enc en- gineers suggested these:
 l. Eliminate unnecessary signals. You canot effectively enforce any prohibition which a majority of the otherwise law-abiding citizens re- gard as unjustified. Traffic signals should be discontinued where traf- fic falls below accepted minimum standards. At certain intersections a flash operation is preferable to either tn estop signal or a complete discontinuance of it. And signal cycles should be short as the traf- fic volume warrants.
 2. Traffic conditions at different locations should be studied indivi- dually to discover the particular type of signal or other control for that place. Where traffic volume nuctuates widely during the day the signal cycle should be altered at appropriate times to it changed conditions.
 8. Primary war . transportation routes should be designated in every municipality. Preferred ntrol treatment should be given these war routes. These routes should consider the transportation of both war workers and war materials.
 Divide Streets
 4. All new traffic projects should fit into a street and highway plan for the entire area. Where traffic is heavy enough to warrant it and urban streets wide enough to permit it, streets should be divided.
 5. Sidewalks, refuge islands, bar ricadeS should be built into the street system of urban, suburban and congested factory areas.
 6. Licenses for drivers of private vehicles and for drivers of public vehicles should be made valid any where, but they should be granted only upon thorough official exam inntipns This examination should