Evening star., 1948-07-02
Traffic Police
ghtenWatchat
Danger Points
Shifted to Peuk-Hour
Duty to Cut Mounting
Death, Injury Toll

Duty 10 Aut mounting
Death, Injury Toll
New strategy has been adopted by
Washington police in meeting the
city's mounting 1s4S traffic toll, it
was learned today.
Faced already with over 1000
more accidents than had been re-
corded at this time. last year-plus
a 20 per cent greater toll among
children-the police departments
traffic division has launched move
to center its force on the city's peak
travel hours and danger points.
Key to this drive is the use of
large maps on which all traffic &C
cidents are pinpointed.
Washington police, for about two
years, have recorded all accidents on
a large wall map at headquarters.
BY their color, the pins show certain
facts about each accident-whether
it caused death, injury or property
damage and involved automobiles,
a pedestrian or a streetcar.
Accidents Now Timed.
But now, for the first time, maps
are being used to show the time OF
day in which the accident occurred.
The purpose is to show when, as
we'll as where, most stringent police
enforcement is needed.
AS a result of this new map syS-
tenn, a squad of 10 motorcycle men
already has been shifted to the
4-p.m. to midnight shift daily-the
city's worst accident hours.
In another map study, all child
accidents involving injury, since the
close of school, have been pin-point-
ed on a separate map. This study,
launched because of a recent in
crease in child injuries, will continue
throughout the summer.
The situation which inspired these
innovations is this:
There were 6,391 traffic accidents
from January / to July lover
1000 more than in the same period
last year. A total of 2,549 persons
have been listed as injured-over
300 more than last year. There have
been 80 deaths this year-1ve more
than last year at this time.
Child Accidents Greater.
On the score of child accidents,
children have died and 662 have
suffered injuries this year, as COM
pared with only killed and 56S
injured up to July l, 1947.
BY mapping this summers child
casualties, police are hoping to help
keep this years vacation toll below
the 276 injured and / dead of last
year. A good start in this direction
already has been made through the
safety drive launched two weeks
ago by the Commissioners Traffic
Advisory Board. On the map since
schools closed June % are 81 in
juries.
One conclusion police expect to
reach through the map. according to
Capt. L. T. Johnson, is the impor-
tance of adequate playground areas
in reducing accidents. Most 'vaca-
ton accidents so far show up in
areas lacking such facilities, he
pointed out.
Four maps are used in the new
accident timing system, one for each
time period-midnight to 8 am, 8
am. to pm. and 4 pm. to. mid
night, and a special map for the
early morning hours, 2 to 7 am
OF the hundreds of accidents
mapped since March l when the
project was started, by far the
largest number of accidents is or
the late afternoon n-evening map.
Benning Road Danger Spot.
The city's worst trouble spot, as
shown by all the maps, is Benning
road NE. from Fifteenth street to
Minnesota avenue. The road line or
the p.m.-to-midnight map is al
most completely hidden by the clus.
tiers of pins-more than 75-since
March.
Other trouble spots, Capt. John
son noted, are Eleventh street Sc.
north of the bridge, and the inter-
section Of Georgia and Florida ave-
nueS NV, where dozens of acci-
dents are recorded.
Along with the accident toll, the
city's arrests also are climbing, with
1,099 arrested for speeding alone in
the single month of June, Capt
Johnson disclosed. Speeding, reck-
less driving and failure to yield the
right of way are responsible for the
large majority of accidents, accord
ing to enforcement authorities.
Washingtons accident rise Is
ascribed by Traffic Director George
E. Keneipp mainly to a heavily in.
creasing volume of traffic on the
city's streets. Traffic volume during
May was estimated at per cent
above that in May, 1947, and Il
per cent over the figure in May
1941. The latter year was the city's
peak accident year.
150,675 Registrations.
COillIlUu9iIlS W Ilic III dLlC NOl-
ume is increased registration
150,675 last month-but Mr.. KeneipI
estimates that an equal number o1
out-of town cars also travel in the
District.
Inspector Arthur E. Miller, head
of the Traffic Division, explained
police efforts this way:
Accidents definitely are increas.
ing. We have been using the Sc
lective method of enforcement
concentration on danger areas-fol
some time. What we are doing nov
represents a further improvement
of this approach. I feel-and hope
that when people find us concen.
trating on enforcement in trouble
areas, they will realize we are seri'
GUS about this thing and will fee
more inclined to obey the law" "
Thorp to Visit Geneva
| As U. N. Mission Chief
BY the Assoeiated Press