TRAFFIC PROBLEMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 113, 16 May 1927, Page 9

TRAFFIC PROBLEMS.

HEAVY MORTALITY IN U.S.A.

TRAINING IN THE SCHOOLS.

EADHCAL CHANGES PLANNED.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SAN FRANCISCO, April 20,

Most people know that many more Americans meet death every year in their normal pursuits than the number of U.S. soldiers killed in the Great War.

This used to be thought of as mostly an industrial problem; the sacrifice of life in some of the great industries of the United States was far too high. Now, industry has largely stopped this sacrifice.

The big problem now is not in industry, but on the streets in front of homes, and in the homes themselves. To eay that more than 23,000 people were killed by automobiles last year, and a third of these children—and about 19,000 through home accidents—conveys no concrete impression; but when a child of a friend is run over and killed in front of his home, and when one realises how easily this might happen to a child in one's own particular circle, the problem becomes vitally personal.

"The slow processc of natural evolution do not suffice. Our prehistoric ancestors," says Mr. Aldrich, chairman of the Safety Council of Providence, R. 1., "had aeons of time in which to develop new instinct of caution against the slowly changing hazards of their world. The automobile has been developed in a generation, and the plain fact of the matter is that neither in our street facilities, our law enforcement, nor our personal self-control have we fitted ourselves to use in safety and comfort this wonderful instrument of business and of pleasure.

"What have the schools to do with all this? After years of hesitating experiment, the educators themselves have shown us the way out from this dilemma—for safety training in our schools is being promoted and urged today not alone by the National Safety Council, but by many of our foremost educational authorities. Safety School Training. "Their firet answer is this: 'Introduce safety into schools not in the form of some outsider coming to "talk to the children" once a week or once a month, bat as an integral part of the daily Activities of the school.' Safety in the teacher's jaragon, becomes 'material' for the various classes. In the art classes the children, instead of the conventional chair or apple or house with a tree in front of it, occasionally draw a safety poster. In English classes they write stories on how a child should cross the street; on fire as a servant and as a master; on'things to look out for when taking care of baby—and so on. "Thw brings me to the second thing that our educational leaders say on the subject. They eay that our whole educational system neede to be revised, or, at least, to be reconsidered. So far, they saj> # we have been training our children for individual success in the struggle for existence. Aβ a nation of pioneer** that was what we needed—and our material success, show that" the job was well done." ■ :j* Pedestrians Signal by Hand. Radical changes in the administration of Chicago's metropolitan area traffic have been recommended in a report of tiie metropolitan street traffic survey by the street traffic committee of the Chicago Association of Commerce. Miller McClintock, traffic authority who directed the survey, has recommended extensive prohibition of vehicular parking, restriction of the pedestrians' freedom in the use of streets, and co-rela-

tion of the existing 18 traffic jurisdictions with in the city. An ordinance has been proposed that would require pedestrians when crossing the streets even at cross walks, to yield the right-of-way to vehicles. The ordinance provides that "the pedestrian shall indicate his intention to cross by a timely and continuous warning by holding up ins hand palm outwards toward approaching traffic." * The outstand parking and stopping restriction prohibits the parking of vehicles in the central district between 7 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. upon any day except Sundays and certain holidadys This does not apply to licensed taxicabs in authorised stands. The question of vehicles passing down the tramway tracks within safety zones, is handled by making it "unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to drive to the left of any safety zone when by so doing such operator would unnecessarily delay the stopping of a street car for the purpose of receiving or discharging passengers at said safety zone." New York Conditions. That the old civil law which gives persons on foot the right to preserve life and limb against vehicles contending with them for the right of way is enforceable, now that the police department of New York has made it an ordinance, is shown by the recent conviction of three viojators.

Commissioner Hoyt, of the police traffic department, outlining the plans of this department for enforcing the new traffic ivgular:«n« snrl therein sp.-o.i •-.••

up traffic, and at the same time safeguarding both driver and pedestrian, said that he thought most of the violation of traffic rules was due to lack of consideration on the part of drivers. The commissioner said thai; during March last 4000 summonses were issued by the department to drivers who ran past traffic lights, and that without exception their defence was that there was no one crossing the street in front of them at the time, and that they did not see why they should be delayed by the light. "These drivers must be made to understand that in the long run obedience to the lights will not slow them up, but will speed up all traffic and do away with much of the traffic congestion. They must be brought to have the same respect for the lights that they would have for an officer stationed on that crossing. There are 2300 crossings in New York, which on account of the number of cars and pedestrians crossing each hour would in a smaller city be considered danger points where an officer should be placed. The placing of officers at such points in New York would cost the city more than 11,000,000 dollars a year in salaries for the officers. On the other hand, lights can be installed at all these crossings at an expense not exceeding 1,500,000 dollars, and the plan of the department is to have the city so equipped within the present year. "The new rules, including the full stop before making a right-hand turn, and keeping to the right in making such a turn, were made on the advice of more than 2000 traffic officers who spend twelve hours of each day "struggling with traffic problems on the. busiest corners of New York, and may be considered to be experts on the subject."