Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-07-20

bile accident. He will resume b
regular column on his return.
tary precaution before dis
aSter.
Seat belts had been brought
to his attention. A friend in
HEW was assigned to pro-
mote their use.
That's how important they
are considered. Accidents
and most of them are auto
mobile accidentS-cauSe more
deaths than any disease ex-
cept heart and cancer.
Automobile accidents killed
3e,D0o persons last year.
About 1000 of them were
pedestrians.
"A Nationwide study sug-
gested that universal use of
seat belts would have saved
5000 lives.
"A California study con-
Guided that seat belts would
have reduced serious and
fatal injuries by one third
in that State.
All this was very inter-
eSting. But it had nothing to
do with The Rambler. He
had been driving over 40
years, more than half a mil
lion miles, without a personal
injury accident.
His wife'S record, while
not as long, was just as good.
FOR SOME TIME we had
been hoping to purchase a
place near Mount Vernon
with a view of the broad
stretches of the Potomac
that George washington
loved.
When he arrived home on
this evening, he was told that
a real estate woman who had
shown US around several
days before had called to
say that she thought she had
found the very place for us.
We drove down the George
Washington Memorial boule-
ward about $50. 1t was early
in May and a beautiful eve
ming.
The Potomac was reflect
ing the blue Of the sky and
there was just enough breeze
to make it sparkle.
The battlements Of Fort
Washington hove into view
on a high point across the
river
At the entrance to Mount
Vernon we turned right on
the highway which rejoins
U. S. / at Woodlawn Planta-
ton. The Mount Vernon
brick wall was on our left.
There is a crossroad at
the end of the wall. As we
approached it a car came
out on the highway, crossing
from right to left right in
front of US.
Mrs. r. was driving. She
tried to avoid hitting the
car by slamming on the
brakes and turning left with
it into the cross road.
There wasn't enough time
for that. We hit it on the
left rear door and fender.
THE IMPACT FLUNG our
front doors open. I was sit
ting in the right front seat,
the suicide seat. I was
thrown out and landed on
my back at some distance in
the center of the highway.
Although she was behind
the wheel, Mrs. r. was
thrown out the same door
right after me.
The rear doors did not
open. Her mother and aunt,
who were in the back seat,
were shaken up and pain
fully bruised, but no bones
Were broken
The occupants of the other
car, a young man and a
young woman, escaped seri-
Gus injury. The young wom-
an had a bump over her
right eye.
Mrs. r. and I both have
broken backs FRACTURES of
lower vertebrae.)
I am convinced that if we
had seat belts we would have
escaped without a scratch.
No glass was broken. Our
car ended up with the front
bumper bent against the
corner of the Mount Vernon
wall.
The Mount Vernon Volun-
teer Fire Department ambu-
lance responded promptly
and carried us the 7 miles to
Alexandria Hospital with
sirens screaming.
A few days later a young
man called on us to ask about
how it had happened. He
was an adjuster for the COM
pany which had insured the
owner of the other car
against liability.
Get houo Soof hoItS - ho coid