THE BATTALION
Page 2 College Station, Texas Friday, December 16, 1960
BATTALION EDITORIALS
What Can Be Said?
What can be said?
“Johnny Motorist” has been exposed .to facts, figures,
details and warnings of the hazards of highway driving,
especially during the holiday season. But this creature, the
person who holds the steering wheel, seems to be oblivious
of all precautions offered by local* state and national authori
ties.
Whenever these organizations attempt to promote traf
fic safety, the individuals preparing the material must cer
tainly feel they are striving for an impossibility. Millions of
words are printed, pictures are distributed, warnings are is
sued, facts and figures are compiled as testimonial to “Johnny
Motorist’s” ignorance.
Still, the death predictions mount each year. This year,
in Texas, the Department of Public Safety is looking for 90
violent deaths on the state highways. Compound this with 49
other states and you have a grotesque assemblage of Yule
time tragedy.
To put the issue into a broad impression, it has been
noted that traffic accidents obliterate more Americans than
all the wars in our nation’s history. Think about that: “All
the wars.” That includes the Revolutionary War, the War
of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-Ameri-
can War, World War I, World War II and the Korean conflict.
Then, too, the traffic dilema can be put in perspective
with disease also. Pnuemonia, cancer, polio, congential mal
formation ... all are dreaded killers. But it is also proven
that “Johnny Motorist” has taken more unnecessary lives
with his highway antics than all of these diseases.
A remedy for this annual rampage on the highways is
still lacking. National campaigns have combated “Johnny
Motorist”, local and state authorities have sought to elemi-
nate his needless recklessness. Yet he continues to weave
jnore tragedy than all adversaries and diseases.
We can only emphasize that those taking the highways
during the holiday recess at least be aware of the odds that
are set against them. We say this because in 85 out of 100
traffic accidents, “Johnny Motorist”, not the machine, is at
fault.
Here on the Texas A&M campus, there is a tradition
that has become consistently tragic at this time of year. Each
time a person directly connected with the College passes
away or is killed, the flags fly at half mast. That same
night on the campus all the lights are doused and the deceased
is given a 2Dgun salute and “Silver Taps” are played.
Who knows? If the predictions this year are accurate,
the flags may well be flying at half-mast Jan. 3.
Again we ask: “What can be said?”
“Johnny Motorist” is ignorant and irresponsible.
TRIANGLE’S
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Friday
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Sliced Bar-B-Q Beef 85
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THE BATTALION
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the stu-
lent writers only. The Battalion is a non-tax-supported, non-
)rofit, self-supporting educational enterprise edited and op
erated by students as a community newspaper and is under
the supervision of the director of Student Publications at
Cexas A&M College.
Members of the Student Publications Board are L. A. Duewall, director of Student
Publications, chairman; Allen Schrader, School of Arts and Sciences; Willard I.
Truettner, School of Engineering; Otto R. Kunze, School of Agriculture; and Dr. E. D.
McMurry, School of Veterinary Medicine.
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A.&M. is published in College Sta
tion, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, Septem
ber through May, and once a week during summer school.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all news
Jispatches credited to it or not oth<
ipontaneous origin pul
In are also reserved.
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credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of
VHIT ’hI^SS ' T ' f L tss " Ujaaii— af - 11 here-
ublished herein. Rights of republication of all other matter
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In College Station, Texas,
Under the Act of Con
gress of March 8, 1870.
MEMBER:
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News contributions may be made by telephoning VI 6-6618 or VI 6-4910 or at the
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Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school year, $6.50 per full year.
Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 4, YMCA,
College Station, Texas.
BILL HICKLIN EDITOR
Joe Callicoatte Snorts Editor
Bob Sloan, Alan Payne, Tommy Holbein News Editors
Larr-y Smith Assistant Sports Editor
Bob Mitchell, Ronnie Bookman, Robert Denney Staff Writers
Johnny Herrin, Ken Coppage Photographers
Russell Brown Sport;; Writer
CADET SLOUCH
by Jim Earl? Safety Slogans Add Color
To Difficult Campaigns
IMimMrnmllil x ^
“ . . I bet I was the first one to get home.”
DETERMINED EFFORT
Daniel Urges Continuation
Of ‘Significant Progress’
Governor Price Daniel today
urged Texans to continue, thru
the Christmas-New Year’s holi
days, the “significant progress”
made thus far this year in re
ducing traffic deaths on the
State’s streets and highways.
Commenting on the bfficial pre
diction of 90 deaths in Texas
traffic during the ten-day year-
end holiday season, Governor
Daniel said it has now been
“proven to the satisfaction of
most Texans that a determined
effort on the part of Texas auto
mobile drivers to drive safely
and legally can and will reduce
the number of crashes and the
number of deaths and injuries in
our heavy traffic.
“During the past three year-
end holidays,” the Governor con
tinued, “traffic deaths have been
fewer than the number predicted,
mostly because we have been able
to attract and retain the atten
tion of drivers during these per
iods of abnormally heavy traffic.
The records speak for themsel
ves; in 1957, the predicted toll
was 113, but the actual deaths
were 102; in 1958, the prediction
was 95 and the toll was 67; in
1959, the prediction was 112, the
actual toll 97, all during the
year-end holidays.
“These figures mean,” the Gov
ernor said, “that 53 Texans were
still alive after those three holi
days although we had expected
them to die in traffic. What we
have already accomplished in the
past three years can be repeated
this year if the same kind of
widespread cooperation can be
obtained throughout the State.”
The Department of Public
Safety predicts 90 traffic deaths
during the 10-day period of “Op
eration Deathwatch 1960,” from
12:01 a.m., Friday, Dec. 23, to
11:59 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 1. This
is the first 10-day year-end holi
day since 1955. The 1958 holiday
covered nine days, and the others
included 12 days each.
Underlining the Governor’s be
lief that significant progress has
been made in reducing traffic
deaths, official statistics from the
Department of Public Safety in
dicate reductions in the daily av
erage of traffic deaths during
the Christmas holidays for the
past three years. During the year-
end holidays from 1950 to 1956,
inclusive, traffic deaths averaged
from 9 to 11.7 daily. During the
years 1957, 1958 and 1959, the
average number of traffic deaths
daily during the Christmas holi
days was 8.5, 7.4 and 8, respec
tively.
The weekly DPS traffic statis
tics, as of last Friday reported
additional gains in the Gover
nor’s continuing battle to save 1
lives in Texas traffic.
Through the 49th week of
1960, traffic fatalities totaled
2,025 as compared with 2,209 for
the same period last year, a sav
ing of 184 lives or a decrease in
lives lost of 8 percent. Traffic
deaths for 1959 passed the 2,000-
mark on Nov. 20, three weeks
earlier than this year.
During the same period, fatal
traffic crashes in the State reach
ed 1,646, as compared with 1,828
on the same date in 1959, a re
duction of 182, or 10 percent.
WELL YOUR WIFE
BE A WIDOW THIS YEAR
because someone wanted all of the road?
This year, over 40,000
men, women and children
will die on our roads
unless we all do
something to
prevent it!
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP
, STOP TRAFFIC DEATHS NOW
I !• Drive safely and courteously yourself. Observe
speed limits and warning-signs. Wherever drivers
stay alert and obey the law, deaths go DOWN!
i2» Urge your police and courts to enforce the law
strictly! Wherever enforcement is strict, deaths
| go DOWN!
Support your local safety organization
Published in an effort to save lives
The Battalion
In cooperation with
The Advertising Council
The National Safety Council v\ r'GVi
During the first ten months of
1960, total highway crashes, col
lisions resulting in injury, non-
injury wrecks, number of per
sons injured in traffic and eco
nomic losses from traffic mis
haps were all reduced by 8 per
cent over the same period of
1959. Traffic deaths were down
7 percent as compared with that
same period in 1959.
Gov. Daniel said DPS statistic
ians had advised him that a com
bination of bad weather, th^ holi
day rush involving hundreds of
thousands of drivers seeking to
cover long distances in a short
time and the usual dangers of to
day’s . Texas traffic could result
in a “sharp increase in Decem
ber deaths unless drivers employ
extreme caution, courtesy and
care.”
Auto Check
Vital For 5
Trip Home
Before you jump into your car
and strike out for home, stop and
think just a minute about the
condition of your car.
Besides checking the gas, oil,
water and tires, have you made
any real preparation for fhe trip
home?
What about the lights? Do
both headlights and taillights
burn sufficiently? Do the wind
shield wipers function properly?
Do the brakes grab or have too
much slack?
If you are in doubt about the
answer to any of these questions,
you had better take about 30 min
utes of extra time and have these
items checked.
Worried about the cost? You
should be. The real cost is not
measured in dollars and cents, it
is measured in lives. And the
odds are much higher should you
lose.
Regardless of where you have
the inspection done, keep in mind
that mechanical failures account
for a large percentage of auto
mobile accidents.
CIVILIAN YEARBOOK
PORTRAIT SCHEDULE
ALL civilian students, IN
CLUDING GRADUATE STU
DENTS, 5th and 6th year archi
tectural and Veterinary Medi
cine students, will have their
portraits made for the AGGIE-
LAND ’61 according to the fol
lowing schedule.
Portraits will be made in
COAT & TIE at the Aggieland
Studio between the hours of 8:00
A. M. and 5:00 P. M. on the
days scheduled
(surnames beginning with)
January 3-4
99
A-C
January 5-6
!”
D-H
January 10-11
99
I-M
January 12-13
N-Q
January 17-18
99
It-S
January 19-20
V
T-Z
Every year, traffic safety com
mittees and departments of pub
lic safety, all over the United
States launch campaigns to con
vince the American motorist that
it isn’t always the other fellow
who gets killed in traffic acci
dents.
One of the more colorful as
pects of these difficult campaigns
is the safety slogans and signs
that result.
Texas’ own Governor’s High
way Safety Commission has com
piled a list of these slogans, from
points; all over the country. Such
as:
A sign at Hondo, Tex.: “This
is God’s Country. Don’t Drive
Through It Like Hell!”
From the Connecticut State
Police: “He who has one for the
road gets trooper for chaser.”
New British safety slogan:
“Steer Clear of ‘Tavern Fog.’”
Mississippi road sign: “Drive
Carefully! No Hospital Within
50 Miles!”
“You can kill, so drive with
skill.”
“It’s nice to be important, but
it’s more important to be nice—
especially in traffic.”
There is no Christmas Carol, no poem, no truer
word with which to express our sentiments than
this sincere greeting...
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND
GOD BLESS YOU
" Satisfaction guaranteed
or your money back”
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PEANUTS
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TUI515 A 5IMPLE CEREMONY
BUT m MEANINGFUL...
By Charles M. Schulz
I'llEAV’ IT (S...Y0U'RE60IN6
TO HAVE TO CUT THE CAKE../^
EVES ARE TOO FOIL Of TEARS i
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