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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 1952)
Special Section Safety Edition The Battalion PUBLISHED DAILY IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE Drive Carefully See Santa Claus Again Number 246: Volume 52 COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1952 Price Five Cents DEATH ON THE HIGHWAY—Four speeding automobiles, following each other too close were unable to stop and the result was a crash and this driver’s (left car)' wife was killed instantly . . . DRIVER UNHURT—And this car was turned over, but the driver was unhurt, yet his grandmother was killed and his daughter never heard the ambulance arrive . . . Auto Death Ruins Record For CS In ‘52 There have been only about 15 automobile accidents in the College Station city limits this year, said Curtis Bullock, Col lege Station patrolman. One person has been killed and one hospitalized as a re sult of these accidents, Bul lock added. The only fatality this year occurred in a train- automobile accident at the de pot. The man killed was a resident of Caldwell. “College Station people are very particular about the way they drive,” Bullock said. “But we have had a little trouble this year with speeders.” Bullock hoped there would be no accidents over the hol idays. “So far we have been very lucky as far as holiday acci dents are concerned,” he said. Some Aggies May Die in Holiday Accidents Harrington Praises ‘Exceptional Safety’ State Auto Deaths Estimated At 202 Bicycle Safety Emphasized College Station has realized that if you teach safe driving practices to your children, they will be safe drivers when they grow up, according to Curtis Bullock, College Station patrolman. Of course, children don’t drive automobiles, but the rules of the road for bicycles are the same as those for cars, he said. Bullock has started a bicycle safety pi^ogram in the schools. He is making talks and showing movies on safe driving practices. Reflector tape has been put on the bicycles of all the children at A&M Consolidated school. The tape is designed to reflect light from automobile headlights. As a further incentive to safe driving, safety certificates will be given to those riders who com plete the school year without a safe driving infi*action recorded against them. Any infraction of the safety reg ulations can be reporter by teach- .er or parent, he said. President of the College M. T. Harrington lauded today students and staff members for the ex ceptional safety record they have maintained. “When we consider the number of automobiles on our campus,” the president said, “and the amount of driving done on the weekends, we think the record is outstanding.” Dr. Harrington said the ap proach of the holiday season de mands extra caution of the stu dents and staff membei’s to help prevent traffic accidents. JPeak for Accidents “The holiday season is the peak period of the year for traffic ac cidents, and it calls for extra cau tion on everybody’s part. Less speed, more care and courtesy, alertness and not indifference in observing our traffic laws are fac tors that will help prevent traf fic accidents,” Harrington said. In issuing his annual Christmas message, the president said the safety issue of The Battalion was “appropriate with the majority of students, faculty and staff mem bers using the highways during Eighty-Eight Per Cent Travelers Go By Car Recent figures show 88 percent of the vacationers of America to day travel by car to and from their, destinations. In 1947 only 75 percent of the population used cars to make their vacation trips, but today with fast er cars flying over the highways, the amount has rocketed upward. the holidays, going home for Christmas.” “The greatest joy and happiness of the holiday season comes from being at home with our family and loved ones. I hope you will observe every precaution in order not to have your or their happiness changed to sadness. “My wish for each and everyone of the members of the A&M Col lege family, students, faculty, and staff is that you will have your happiest and most enjoyable Christmas season.” Accidents Can Happen To Anyone Accidents can happen at the oddest times to the “safest” people. Proof enough was the ex perience of safety driver Sam Abay for the National Safe ty Council in Waco this year. He was on the lookout for safety featui-es in the city. While driving the new safe ty inspection car, the driv er swerved to keep from hit ting a taxi and banged the auto of Jim Meers, retired fire chief of Waco. But the safety man wasn’t fazed.' He just ripped the seal of the new first aid kit and treated himself. wm \v? I i ’ c v", . BURNED COMPLETELY—While this car’s driver also was safe, his wife was burned to death, as people watched. His boy will be blind in one eye . . . Speed Can Kill You Man Behind Wheel Causes American Holiday Horror “Speed kills ... it can kill you— a car, this means one of two will racing, was killed instantly. Also driver, rider, the innocent bystand- be trying to keep alive although he killed were persons 29, 19, and 43 er.” may not be driving. years old.” Highways across the nation will The driver is the important cog Action taken: “The spring car prove this again in the closing on the wheel who can keep per- race stopped after the seventh lap. weeks of 1952. Why? How? The answer’s easy: sons alive when an automobile is moving. He can prevent the un- an hour You will be driving one of the expected accident, moi'e than 49 million motor ve- In West Texas this past sum- hicles which will be crowding the mer, July 4, four persons were nation’s highways. This is one killed in a three car collision, vehicle for every four Americans, Rule broken: The program resumed and a half later.” What does all this prove? You are responsible. When you have a wheel in your hands, watch the ,, , , . road, watch the speed, watch out. Not enough in- Age> seX; driver or rider or inno _ quite a few over the six million ve- terval between cars on highway ce * t ’ byst ’ ander> all are SU cceptible hides in operation only 34 years ago in 1918. One of Two in Texas In the largest state in the un- and, of course, exceeding the speed limit. Death Toll Heavy Persons killed: Not the drivers, to death via an automobile, driver is the safety factor. The By JERRY BENNETT Battalion News Editor Some of the 1900 students who have cars on the campus may not return to A&M Jan. 5 because of holiday automobile deaths, said Fred Hickman, chief of campus security. Approximately 900 faculty and staff members have auto mobiles, jumping the total of A&M vehicles on the highways this season to 2800, he said. These accidents could add the finishing touches to the crimson holiday picture painted for Texas highways by the Department of Public Safety. Two hundred and two persons^ will meet violent deaths in Texas during the Christmas and New Year’s Holidays if the estimate of the Texas Department of Public Safety is correct. Homer Garrison Jr., director of the state agency, released the an nual holiday death toll prediction of his chief statistician, N. K. Woemer. Persons to Die Woerner says for the 10 day period from 12:01 a. m. Dec. 23 to midnight Jan. 1, 105 persons will die in traffic accidents in the state; 55 will meet violent deaths due to miscellaneous causes such as fh’es, di’ownings and explosions; and another 42 will be victims of suicides and homicides. To date 2,54(5 pei’sons have met violent death in 92,242 Texas traf fic accidents. Injured totaled 28,- 645. This is six per cent over last year. From a total of 2,670 pedestrian accidents, 379 persons were killed and 2,404 injured. Collisions be tween automobiles killed 1,142 per sons and injured 17,295. Complete number of these accidents totals 67,452. Railroad Trains Railroad trains crashed with automobiles snuffing out the lives of 99 people. Of these 471 .acci dents, 237 persons were injured. Streetcar - automobile accidents numbered 230. From this figure, 33 persons were injured and one was killed. Animal drawn vehicles collided with automobiles to injure 34 per sons and kill one. Fifty-one acci dents of this type have occurred so far this year. Bicyclists Die, Too Two wheeled bicycles met with their four weeled counterparts to blot out the lives of 22 persons. In 396 accidents involving bicycles, 341 people were injured. Even animals entered this crim son picture of Texas slaughter. Animals were a principal factor in causing 1,151 automobile acci dents. From this number 13 per sons were killed and 152 were in jured. Motor vehicle collisions with See TEXAS DEATHS Page 4 S lighways More Important To Texas Economy Highway transportation is becoming more important daily to Texas economy, ac cording to J. H. Kultgen, president of the Texas Good Roads Association. Kultgen points out that there are now 1,788 communities, includ ing 43 County Seats, in Texas that have no other form of transporta tion. TheyTuust rely entirely up on highways to carry both pas sengers and commodities to and from markets. “There is no longer any particu lar competitive disadvantage in this, however,” Kultgen said. “There was a time when a town having po rail transportation, had little hope for its future. Today an integrated highway system has changed that picture. It is fine for a town to have railroad con nections. But it also is fine if they can have water ways or be on an airline. The fact they ai'e not, however, will no longer keep them from prospering in the fullest mea sure.” As an indication of the import ance of efficient highway connec tion, there is no direct passenger train service now between Austin, the capital of Texas, and Houston, the largest city. Huge mail trucks and planes carry the bulk of the mail, while highways and airlines carry all the passenger traffic dir ectly between these two points. ■ —— REMAINS SHOWN—The few remains of the wife along with the carcass of the car are not too pretty . . . ★ ★ THE SAME END—And as a reminder, the ambulance officials and police perform their grimmest duty. Cause of accident: Speeding and following cars too close. Results: Four dead. Conclusion; .Grim, laughless holidays. ion, almost every other Texan has but two wives, one daughter, one an automobile. The state ranks grandmother. The daughter was fourth in automobile population 4 years old, the grandmother, 63, with more than 3,500,000 register- both wives were in their middle ed. The state’s car population has 30s. increased 100 per cent since 1942. During-1951, more than 13,000 With every other Texan driving persons were killed and 570,000 in jured by drivers who were exceed ing the speed limit. Speeding again was considered “the most dangerous mistake by drivers in 1951.” It has won this award for many years. There were 1,600 more persons killed in automobile accidents in 1952 than the 35,550 killed in 1950. Last year, 1,962,000 Americans were injured in traffic accidents with speeding on U. S. streets and highways injuring almost half, 570,080 men, women, and children. Pedestrians Included But pedestrians, the innocent by standers, are not neglected in the death column. Pedestrians killed in traffic accidents last year total ed 9,470 while 290,660 others were injured. This carelessness, wreckless driv ing can occur anywhere. Example: April 20, Dayton, Ohio. Scene of accident: The Dayton Speedway. Record action: “A spitting, dus ty racing car, throttle out, roared off a high bank, suddenly zoomed wildly, and plunged into the grand stand, killing four persons and in juring 50. Its driver, 29 years of age, a bright prospect for big car Traffic Deaths Double On Christmas Holidays It’s not always fair weather when families get together, so drive carefully on your Christmas trip. The National Safety Council warns that Christmas is America’s family get-together holiday. That means a lot of travel under haz ardous conditions of poor visibil ity and treacherous road surfaces. That’s why the death toll from traffic accidents is greater at Christmas time than for any other holiday of the year. Heavy travel, tricky weather, early darkness and holiday festiv ity combined to bring death to 351 persons during the four-day Christmas holiday last year, the Council said. Many persons again will enjoy a four-day holiday this year—long enough to tempt mil lions of motorists to drive consid erable distance for the rendezvous with Santa Claus and a turkey din ner. Death Toll Doubled “Our records show that the traffic death toll for Christmas eve and Christmas day is about twice the annual daily average,” said Ned H. Dearborn, Council president. “This calls for special caution on everybody’s part—driv er and pedestrian alike. “To keep death from taking your holiday, or someone else’s is a simple thing. All that is required is extra caution and courtesy, plus a little more time during the holiday rush—just enough more time to be extra careful when driv ing on the highway or crossing streets. Watch Traffic “If you’re walking, watch for traffic—and wait for the green light before crossing streets. Car ry packages so they do not ob struct your view. Motorists can not always see you, especially dur ing eaidy evening dai’kness. “If you’re driving, start early and take it easy. Be extremely cautious in bad weather and dark ness. “If you imbide Christmas spirit in liquid form, stay away from the steering wheel of a car. Don’t let holiday spirit—or spirits—replace common sense and caution. “Assume personal responsibility for a safe celebration for yourself and others. Make Christmas hap py for everyone. “Don’t let death take your holi day.” Unauthorized Play Endangers Safety Unauthorized play is one of the greatest dangers to personal safe ty at A&M, said Fred Hickman, chief of campus security. Climbing college buildings and utilities in unit flag raising con tests is especially dangerous, he said. So far this year two students have been seriously injured in these unauthorized activities. Rob ert L. Francis, freshman from El Paso crashed through the roof of the Mechanical Engineering Build ing and fell 22 feet to the floor while attempting to retrieve a unit flag. This accident occurred Nov. 24. Clarence Gay, sophomore from Fort Worth, was injured Oct. 1 when he fell 10 feet to the bottom of a steam tunnel during a inter unit riot. Students’ speeding on the cam pus are also a danger factor in personal safety, Hickman said. Cases involving speeding are turn ed over to the student’s dorm counselor who accesses punish ment. Patrolman Hired For School Kids In order to protect school chil dren, A&M Consolidated School has hired a patrolman to be at the corner of Highway 6 and Jer sey during the times children go to and from school. C. A. Rohloff, a Brazos County deputy, is on duty from 7:45 to 8:30 a. m., 11:30 to 1.00 p. m., and 2:45 to 4:00 p. m. on school days to assist the children.