i
Page '4 ^ THE BATTALION Thursday, December 18, 1952
Poor Vision Named Cause
Of Many Highway Accidents
How much clear vision should
you have to pass another automo
bile when it is going 50 miles an
hour and you are going 60?
This is one of the problems fac
ing Texas highway planners in
their efforts to modernize Texas
highways and make them safer.
They must make it possible for
you to see a half-mile ahead, or
you are taking a chance at passing
another vehicle traveling at a
mile a minute.
With highways built for only
two-lane or three-lane traffic the
highway department has to depend
upon yellow paint to furnish the
safety factor. Every year thous
ands of dollars are spent painting
the center stripe and warning lines
down the highways.
Ignore Warnings
“We are all too prone to ignore
these warning stripes when we
think we have even a half-chance,”
says Jack Kultgen, president of the
Texas Good Roads Association.
“Sometimes when you are driv
ing along at 60 miles an hour, have
your companion clock you. You’ll
be surprised at how many times
you are facing death in the mat
ter of just a few seconds,” he said.
Such carelessness last caused a
big percentage of the 206,000 mot
or vehicle accidents that killed
2,546 persons in Texas.
Pedestrian Death Checked
Pedestrian experience in 1951
is termed “an island of encourage
ment in last year’s ocean of acci
dents.” A comparison of 1951 with
1950 shows that pedestrian deaths
were “held in check” while injur
ies were reduced by nearly 9,000.
Nearly two million casualties,
the wox-st automobile accident toll
in the nation’s history, were re
corded in 1951, according to fig
ures released by insurance com
panies.
Last year’s ti’affic deaths total
ed 37,100, an increase of 1600
over the 1950 mark. The injury
count soared to 1,962,600, more
than 160,000 over 1950.
Many Killed Last Year
More than 13,000 persons were
killed and 570,000 injured last year
by drivers who were exceeding the
speed limit, according to the re
port. Excessive speed was “far and
away the most dangerous mistake
in driving” in 1951.
More than 11,000 drivers under
25 years old were involved in fatal
accidents and 416,000 more in per
sonal injury accidents, the figures
reveal.
Other facts shown by the sta
tistics are:
Satux-day was the most danger
ous day of the week to dxnve.
More persons lost their lives
during the hour from 6 to 7
p. m. than in any other hour. In-
jux-ies hit their peak two hours
earlier, fi’om 4 to 5 p. m.
Ninety per cent of dx-ivei’s in
volved in 1951 accidents wex’el
males.
Ninety-seven per cent of drxv-
Here Are Reactions
After Car Accident
By FRANK N. MANITZAS
Battalion Co-Editor
Scene: A I’ecent-make passenger
car has just runoff the side of the
X’oad. It hit a culvex-t and toppled
over on its side. It rolls. Two
pex’sons, a man and his wife, ax'e
dead. The man’s body was thrown
out through the open door. The
woman was halfway thi-ough the
front wixxdshield. These are the
X’eactions.
First person to the scene: “He
was speeding.”
Highway pati’olman: “Damned
fools. Fall asleep at the wheel.”
Front tire: “I screeched. I
tried to hold. I failed.”
The man’s coat: “He is still
bleeding on me.”
The doctor: “Nothing can be
done. Try and keep the body to
gether while xxxoving it.”
Ambulance driver: “I could
vomit.”
i) llis attendant? “'“Let's get them
in the , ambulance and get outa
hex’e.”
The windshield: “She screamed
a little when she passed through
me. I said nothing when I passed
through here.”
A passer-by: “Dx-unks, I guess.”
Brakes: “He kept pushing on
me. There was little I could do.
The gx'avel was loose. We went off
the x-oad.”
The gravel: “I slipped under
the cax'’s tires tixxxe and time as
he tried to get back on the road.”
The steering wheel: “His hands
were cold as he clutched me fran
tically in the last few moments.”
The car’s clock: “It happened
so fast, I lost track of time.”
The cai’’s radio: “He should
have kept me on a little longer.
I would have helped keep him
awake.”
The man’s stomach: “He gave
me a cup of coffee, but that was
about three hours ago.”
The man’s eyes: “I’m open
now.”
The woman’s bx’ain: “She said
I guess I’ll have a beer. You’re
driving. But I went to sleep
first.”
Highway patrol chief: “Won’t
they ever learn?”
Texas Deaths
(Continued from Page 1)
fixed objects killed 206 persons and
injured 2,218. Accidents of this
type totaled 5,178. Automobile
crashes with other objects caused
the death of 24 persons. Out of
5,662 accidents of this type, 710
persons were injured.
Overturned Car Slaughter
Automobiles ovei’tunxed in x’oad-
ways to kill 77 persons and injure
681. These accidents totaled 1090.
Automobiles xainning off roadways
slaughtered 533 persons in 7,588
accidents. In this number 4,361
persons were injured.
Forty-nine pex’sons were killed
in 303 automobile non-collision ac
cidents. From this number 188
persons received injuries.
Accidents occuring in urban
areas with population of 5,000 to
10,000 have totaled seven killed
and 56 injured.
Throughout the United States,
2,546 persons have been killed and
70,025 have been injured in motor
yehicle accidents this year.
Culvei't: “His car’s bumper
chipped me. But I got even. I
turned his car a double flip.”
The curve: “He didn’t even see
my glowing sign 20 yax-ds ahead.
Seiwes him xight. He’ll never do
it again.”
The mid-stx’ipe: “I wanxed him
many times. I kept wobbling,
telling him to stop and get some
fresh air. Now maybe he’ll lis
ten.”
The drivex-’s son: “If I had on
ly gone with them. It wouldn’t
have happened. It’s my fault.”
The mother-in-law: “I knew he
was no good.”
The xxxan’s pastor: “I love to
think of my little children whom
God has called to himself as away
at school—at the best school in
the univex'se, under the best teach
ers, leaxnxing the best things, in
the best possible manner. O
death! We thank thee for the
light that thou wilt shed upon our
ignox’ance.*’
His God: “As for pxan his days
ax’e as gi’ass; as a flower of the
field, so he flourisheth. The wind
passeth over it, and it is gone;
and the place thex’eof shall know
it no moi’e,
“Wide is the gate and broad is
the way that leadeth to destxnxc-
tion, and many there be which
go in thereat: Because strait is
the gate and narrow is the way
which leadeth unto life, and few
thei’e be that find it.”
New Death Record
Expected in 1952
Deaths caused by motor vehicles
were the highest duxang 1951 than
any year and 1952- is expected to
set a new record. For a 24-year
period from 1927 to 1951, deaths
inci'eased fi'om 25,800 to 37,300
during last yeax\
At the start of World War II,
the death total dropped from
39,969 the previous year to 28,309
in 1942. The following year only
23,823 wex'e killed by autos. Other
years the number of deaths were
1944—24,282 and 1945—28,076. At
the end of the war, the death to
tal jumped to 33,411 and has been
rising yearly.
U.S. Has 76 Percent
Of World’s Autos
The United States has 76 per
cent of the wox-ld’s passenger cars,
according to the Automobile Manu-
factux-ers Association.
In 1940, the world total was
37,184,199 and the United States
held 73.9 pex’centage of automo
biles for the last decade with
Americans driving 77.9 per cent
of the wox-ld’s 42,842,953 total.
The U. S. holds 42,692,591 of the
56,001,403 automobiles in the
woi'ld last yeai’. This year’s pex--
centage is expected to be lax-ger.
Britain Leads in Export
Of Motor Vehicles in ’51
Great Britain is the leading ex
porter of motor vehicles with a to
tal of 1,300,414. The United States
is second lax’gest exporter with
433,665 motor vehicles leaving the
states during 1951,
ex-s involved in 1951 accidents had
at least one year of experience be
hind the wheel,
Thix-ty-eight per cent of last
year’s fatal accidents occxxrred on
the opexx highway.
There wex-e 92 per cent more fat
al accidents on icy roads last year
than in 1950.
Easy to Pass
Driver’s Test
Hex-e ax-e thx-ee bits of ad
vice for those planning to
make application for their op
erator’s license:
• Know the road rules.
• Practice the rules when
driving.
Don’t get nexwous. Ap
plicants are given another
chance unless his physical con
dition prevents it.
State Roads Take Pounding
From 81 Million Miles Daily
Texas highways take a pounding from 81 million miles
a day of automobile and truck traffic, according to recent
studies of the State Highway Department.
Of that amount, 47 million miles a day are driven over
roads financed entirely with state funds. Federal and county
funds are used in financing a portion of the remaining roads.
Recent reports show that 56 per cent of the state main
tained system now is more than ten years old. It has passed
the half-way mark of the 20-year life expectancy for such
highways. This accounts for the large amount of current
revenue that must be used on maintenance instead of new
construction on the state’s system.
Nationwide Christmas Plan
For Saving Lives to Start
The National Safety Coixncil to
day announced a nationwide Christ
mas savings plan to stop accidents.
“If evex-y American will join this
savings plan before the Christmas
holidays, a x-eal yuletide boxxus—
human life — will be paid,” said
Ned H. Deax-bom, Council presi
dent.
The campaign has been joined
by more than 160 national ox-gan-
izations, and by city and state pub
lic officials and civic leaders. They
will enlist voluntax-y cooperation
froxn every American to hold ac
cidents to a minimum this Christ
mas.
- Most Dangerous Period
The year-end holiday season is
the most dangerous period of the
yeai-, Deax-box-n said, and accidents
annually mar the celebration in
thousands of homes. Traffic ac
cident deaths on both Christmas
eve and Chx-istmas day ax-e about
twice as high as the annual daily
average.
This year, with the holiday con
sisting of four days for many per
sons, the toll could be even higher
than the 351 ti’affic deaths x-eport-
ed during the foui’-day Chx-istxxxas
weekend last yeai-, Deaxborn warn
ed.
“Tx-avel is especially heavy over
long holidays, which encourage tra
ditional faxxxily get-togethers even
when the members must drive con-
siderable distance,” he said. “The
festive spix-it of the season, plus
Highway 13 Times
As Deadly Today
In 1951, the gasoline consump
tion for the nation increased 58
percent over the 1941 calculations.
The year 1920 saw slightly over
three million gallons of gasoline
burned, and last year over 38 mil
lion gallons were consumed.
This means about 13 times as
xnany cars travel the roads today
as they did in 1920, and the chan
ces of an accident today are 13
times greater than they were 22
years ago.
the normal winter hazards of bad
weather, slippery roads and longer
periods of darkness create added
danger.”
Here Are Precautions „
For a safe and MeiTy Christmas,
the National Safety Council sug
gests these px-ecautions:
® Dilving or walking, put the
Christmas spixlt of “good will to-
ward men” into practical use by
being extra courteous to others.
And take your time.
• If sti’eets are icy or slippery,
keep your speed down and your
caution up.
• If you imbibe Chxdstmas spir
it in liquid fonn, stay away from
the steering wheel of a car.
• Avoid home hazards, too.
Don’t use candles, be sure tree
lights and wiring ai’e in good con
dition and keep gift wrappings
away from the fireplace or other
soux-ce of heat.
The hour from 6 to 7 p.m. is
the most dangerous of the day
or night in traffic.
When it's a tie - you die!
Hundreds of motorists lose their lives every year in need
less accidents like this. Thousands more are injured, many per
manently. Not all these accidents are caused by racing a train
to a crossing. Frequently grade crossing tragedies are the result
of being “half-way” careful. Take a tip from the bus drivers,
They always come to a full stop, look both ways and listen.
Remember, when it’s a tie—you die. Be careful —fhe life you
save may be your own.
Slow up before intersections—even
when you have the right of way. It
may save the life of a pedestrian who
didn’t see or hear you. Next time the
pedestrian might be you!
All signs mean “Caution.” Highway
signs and symbols are there for your
protection. Learn what they mean, do
what they say ... it may help prevent
an accident today.
Driver fatigue is a factor in many
non-collision rural accidents. Before
you doze yourself into the ditch, pull
off "the road and take a nap or stop
for coffee.
An official public service mes
sage prepared by The Adver-
tising Council in cooperation with the
National Safety Council.
Be Careful-the life you save may be your own!
THIS MESSAGE SPONSORED IN THE INTEREST OF YOUR SAFETY BY
In The Interest of A Better Texas A&Mj
THE EXCHANGE STORE
“Serving Texas Aggies”