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Special Safety Edition
Cbe Battalion
President Issues
Holiday Message
Volume 61
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1965
Number 249
195 Predicted To
During Holiday Period
Will Ag
Be In
WILL, YOUR ROAD LEAD TO DEATH?
Modem Autos No Match
For Highway Creatures
By ED SMITH
It seems that Detroit, with all
its emphasis on luxury and speed,
has omitted some extremely func
tional devices from the armament
of its product. Today’s autos,
built of ever-decreasing: thick
nesses of tin, are simply not
meant for night driving on our
animal-infested highways.
The railroads met and solved
the problem years ago. With the
introduction of the cow catcher,
the railroads greatly reduced the
hazards of a collision with ani
mals that wandered onto the
tracks. This simple contraption,
when added to the front of the
Appeal Issued
To Students
AUSTIN—The Texas Safety
Association Wednesday issued its
annual appeal to university and
college students to “set-the-pace”
for traffic safety during the
Christmas holiday period.
“Thousands of young drivers
in the state will be starting ‘back
home’ prior to the heaviest traffic
rush at Christmas,” J. O. Musick,
TSA general manager said.
“These drivers can set an ex
ample for other holiday travelers
by reaching their destinations
safely.”
Music reminded students to
give motor vehicles a good safety
check before getting out on the
road.
“And, don’t overload your car
with paskages or jassengers.
Don’t pile books, clothes or pack
ages so high in the back seat of
your car that the rear view
window is blocked. If you must
hang clothing in the car, make
sure you have outside rear view
mirrors,” he said.
In closing, Musick further ad
vised students to get plenty of
sleep before starting trips and
to take several rest stops along
the way.
“If possible, alternate with
otb«r driven. Jt’s much less
tiring and a great deal safer.”
locomotive, eliminated countless
railway accidents.
A train can safely chug through
the night and, if by chance some
retarded bovine wanders in its
path, the train keeps on going
and some rancher gets another
tax deduction. Automobiles are
an entirely different thing. You
pull a similar stunt in your car
and — POW — one dead cow
and a $600 repair bill.
Texas abounds with hundreds
of night-crawling, night-feeding
animals of every description.
Most of them seem to lack the
good sense to stay off the high
ways. As if by some natural
calling, these insomniac fur-
bearers converge on the high
ways to while away their sleep
less hours.
Those who have ever taken a
long automobile trip with a small
child know that they eagerly peer,
hang, lean and sometimes fall
out of cars trying to get a
glimpse of some woodland crea
ture, during the daytime. They
seldom see any. Generally, the
poor frustrated kid wears him
self out and by nightfall he’s
conked out on the back seat.
As soon as he closes his eyes
and drifts off, as if by some
prearranged signal, every sort of
animal converges on the highway,
sending the poor driver into a
series of evasive tactics that any
jet pilot would envy.
If this unfortunate driver is
at the wheel of a Cadillac or a
big Olds he’s got a pretty good
chance of making it to his destin
ation with nothing more than a
trashed out front end. But if he
is unfortunate enough to be push
ing one of the highly popular
imported midget suicide wagons,
he would be lucky to make it
through at all.
It’s easy to clobber an animal
on the highway at night. They
seem to cooperate. There are two
kinds of reactions from our forest
friends when they are suddenly
faced with a pair of glaring head
lights. Some, generally the larg
er ones, simply ignore your pre
sence. The cud-chewers are fore
most in this group. They stand
there and dare you to run over
them. It seems that they know
full well that you can’t hit them
without tearing up your car.
This type seems to be put
there to prepare you for the sec
ond group. For by the time you
stop, get out of your car, gradu
ally coax them off the road and
get chased back to your car by
one you didn’t know was a bull,
you have lost time. This preci
ous time, you naturally feel has
got to be made up. So off you go
in a cloud of dust, laying rubber
for a half a mile, and about the
time you reach 90, you meet
your second problem.
This type is a lot like the
American female — it can’t seem
to make up its mind what to do.
You first see it at 200 yards,
it’s moving to your right. —
you’re OK — opps! — look again
at 150 yards it’s turned around
and is making a left and at 100
yards it’s just standing there look
ing at you. At 50 yards it’s
in motion again; seems like its’
gonna make a right — no — a
left — POW! In cases like this
it’s handy to have a card with
your insurance man’s telephone
number on it.
This is the type I encountered
about halfway between Bryan and
Huntsville about a month ago.
I’m still looking for a lower bid
for the repair work. In the
meantime I’ve got a buddy who’s
kind enough to drive me to school
in the mornings.
There are two possible anti
dotes for the type of accidents
under discussion. One, we can
get up a petition for cow catchers
on cars and send it to Detroit;
or two, we can try to keep our
speed down to a reasonable level.
The petition would take too
much time to produce results that
might save an Aggie’s life over
the Christmas holidays but the
second possibility is easily within
reason. Don’t let yourself be
come a casualty of some deer's
self declared “people season.”
Slow down, do it, and maybe you
will live.
KK Chief Powell
Urges Auto Safety
“Take it into consideration it
might be you that will be killed.
Do not always think it will be
someone else,” said Ed Powell,
Chief of Campus Security.
Drive according to the traffic
conditions, the weather condi
tions, and the road conditions.
Just because the speed limit sign
may say 70 m.p.h., do not take a
chance if the road is wet. Also,
be careful of ice and snow on the
road and on bridges.
Toll?
AUSTIN — Past experience
indicates some 110 persons will
be killed in traffic accidents
during the 10-day Christmas-
New Year’s holiday period, it
was reported by Col. Homer Gar
rison, Director of the Texas De
partment of Public Safety.
Garrison said in addition to
the grim traffic death projection
Statistical Services, it is also
estimated that there will be 43
homicides and suicides and 42
deaths from accidents other than
traffic, for a total violent death
toll of 195.
“We would like to appeal once
again to the driving public to
join us in an all-out effort to
cut down on this terrible toll,
particularly in traffic where ob
servance of traffic laws and rules
of safety can actually do some
thing about it,” the DPS director
said.
In an effort to call attention
to the dangers involved in holi
day travel, the DPS will conduct
its annual “Operation Death-
watch” during the 10-day period.
From 12:01 a.m. Dec. 24 (Christ
mas Eve) through 11:59 p.m. Jan.
2, violent deaths will be tabulated
and the totals announced three
times daily from the department
headquarters in Austin.
“We will also have every avail
able patrolman on duty,” Garri
son said. “These men are on
the road to protect and serve the
citizens of this state. In addition
to the highway patrol, there will
be some 150 extra patrolmen
from other DPS uniformed serv
ices on duty.”
During last year’s Christmas-
New Year’s holiday period, a
total of 228 persons died violent
ly. Of these, 128 were killed in
traffic.
RUDDERS’ MESSAGE
Mrs. Rudder and I wish the faculty, staff and students of
Texas A&M a joyous holiday. We hope this will be a season
of appreciation for your families and friends and one of
thanksgiving- for the blessing we have received. We hope
that good judgment and caution by everyone will prevent
needless tragedy during this season for rejoicing.
Earl Rudder, President Texas A&M
New Road Marker
Safety Features
Make Difference
AUSTIN — Just fifteen hours
may have spelled the difference
between life and death for a
League City driver and his pas
senger last month, State High
way Engineer D. C. Greer said
today.
The driver’s car struck both
supports of a 5-by-6-foot free
way exit sign after having been
crowded off the road by a truck
during a blinding rainstorm.
Time of the accident was 6:30
a.m. Nov. 4 — just 15 hours after
a Texas Highway Department
crew had completed modification
of the sign supports in line with
a new safety program.
Neither occupant of the car
Today’s Battalion
Last Until 1966
This is the last issue of The
Battalion for 1965. Our next
publication date is Jan. 4,
1966.
The staff wishes you a
Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year, and urges you to
drive carefully to and from
home.
See you in 1966.
Accident Photographers
Believe In Safety Cliches
By GUS De La GARZA
Have you heard of the “suicide
squad?” It’s a team of photog
raphers who volunteer their serv
ices to take pictures of highway
accidehts. Their goal is to make
people realize that cars can and
will kill you. They are staunch
supporters of such well-worn
clinches as “slow down and live”
and “. . . if you drink, don’t drive.”
As proof of their support, they
have produced several films, one
entitled “Death on the Highway.”
Once you’ve seen it you’ll never
forget it. The method of presen
tation is very simple and very
direct . . . the after math of a
wreck before the ambulance gets
there.
The film starts with the omni-
mous wail of siren racing in the
darkness to an accident. The nar
rator, whose weary voice reflects
the endless misery and suffering
he has seen caused by needless
wrecks, says accidents are never
pretty.
The scene that follows his
words shows a man who wrapped
his car around a telephone pole.
The door on the driver's side is
wrenched from its hinges and the
man is slumped on the floor board
with his head firmly welded to
the inside edge of the door; his
eyes are slightly bugged out and
his brains are oozing out.
The narrator’s monotonous
voice tells you the man had been
drinking. How would you like to
be in this man’s place? . . . “if
you drink, don’t drive.”
Again the wail of a siren; an
other accident. This time, the
narrator says, three cars were
involved and eight people killed . .
eight healthy people whose lives
were snuffed out in the span of
a few seconds.
The road was straight, the
weather was clear and bright, but
there is the twisted, burning
wreckage of three cars. A farmer
who witnessed the carnage said
all three cars were travelling at
a high rate of speed—the dead
people are mute testimony to his
statement.
The odor of burnt human flesh
fills the clean countryside air.
All the bodies have been pulled
out of the wreckage and are
awaiting the hearse. Remember
this scene . . . “slow down and
live.”
Another accident, another death
and once more the mounrful wail
of a siren. What you see are the
pitiful remains of a once-beauti-
ful girl. A young man and his
girl out on the town had one too
many. The young man lost con
trol and the car turned over once
before slamming into a brick wall.
The narrator asks to look at
the once beautiful girl again.
Both arms and legs have been
completely severed from her body.
There is her torso and half her
head gone . . . her blond hair
matted with blood and. brains.
Imagine how the young man must
feel—he lived. Think of your girl
friend . . . “if you drink, don’t
drive.”
Death never rests. Once more
the wail of a siren. The narrator
repeats accidents are never pret
ty. This one is especially grue
some.
A car slammed into a truck
carrying gasoline and both ex
ploded. Both drivers were killed.
The bodies were horribly charred.
The driver of the car had been
speeding on a slippery highway.
Think of your Mom and Dad and
how they will react when they
receive a telephone call or when
a state trooper rings the door
bell . . . “slow down and live.”
The film ends with the wail
of sirens. Once more the narrator
says “. . . another accident, an
other death.”
Don’t shrug and say it'll never
happen to me because you have
just as little immunity to getting
killed on the highway as the
people depicted in the film. They
were immune until a few seconds
before the moment of impact.
“Slow down and live” and “ . . .
if you drink don’t drive” are well-
worn clinches but if you don’t
heed them, don’t worry—you’ll
never hear the wailing of the
siren or feel the cold marble slab
at the morgue.
was injured, and the vehicle itself
sustained only $500 damages.
Almost exactly a year earlier
— before the modifications built
in new safety features in the
sign supports — another car col
lided with the same sign. The
driver was killed instantly.
The structure originally was
built with rigid supports, each
connected to a concrete founda
tion by means of a base plate
welded to the post and secured by
four anchor bolts.
Highway Department workers
the day prior to the recent acci
dent dismantled the sign and in
stalled special slip joints and
hinges.
When the League City man’s
car struck the supports, the slip
joints parted and the supports
hinged up and away from the
car harmlessly while the car
rolled on to a more controlled
stop.
Engineers said the main part
of the damage was caused when
the vehicle sideswiped a small,
rigid “Do Not Enter” sign.
The modifications on the sup
ports were made as the result of
more than two years of intensive
research conducted cooperatively
by the Texas Highway Depart
ment and the Texas Transporta
tion Institute at Texas A&M Uni
versity.
The investigation into break
away signs also has attracted the
attention of the U. S. Bureau of
Public Roads and at least 14 oth
er states, which have contributed
to continuing the research.
During the studies, engineers
crashed more than 40 surplus
automobiles into experimental
signs erected at the Texas A&M
Research Annex near Bryan.
All the tests at the research
center were with unmanned cars,
using a tow car to propel the
test cars into the signs at speeds
up to 60 miles per hour.
The mishap near Winnie in
November was the first “man
ned” test of the new supports.
The driver reported the jolt on
striking the supports was com
parable with “hitting a chuck-
hole in the pavement.”
The driver also added his own
“I like break-away signs be
cause” testimonial to a letter
written to Highway Department
engineers.
“Many thanks for the new type
sign,” he wrote. “If it had been
one of the old type, we undoubt
edly would have gone through
the windshield or turned over.
As it was, no injury to me or
friend . . .”
The Highway Department
thinks it has a workable sign,
one that will save lives, Greer
said. “But we don’t consider this
the ‘ultimate sign.’ Our research
will continue at the Texas Trans
portation Institute to improve on
the present design and to explore
other possibilities.”
Greer noted that in 1964, more
than 220 Texans died in collisions
with fixed objects.