NATIONAL SAFETY

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 153, 26 December 1936, Page 18

NATIONAL SAFETY

EFFORTS IN AMERICA

The driver, the car, and the highway were the centre of attention at the twenty-fifth annual National Safety Congress of the United States. Embodied in no formal report, but evident from talks with leading highway and safety engineers, was a general belief that out of this congress had come a broader approach to the motor accident situation, states the "New York Times."

Next year, it was felt, will bring about not only an intensification of safety eiforts but a much closer coordination among private and public agencies dealing with the hundred and one phases of the traffic and accident problem. Heretofore, while doubtless much work towards analysis and education has been accomplished, less has been done towards pooling the_ experiences of organisations, of cities and States engaged in different aspects of the situation. The highway accident problem is now, as. perhaps never before, recognised as a national one, and is to be tackled on a national basis.

Indicative of the new trend was the formation of three special committees which, during the next twelve months, will examine three questions that have proved troublesome for many years. One will study the relationship of vehicle speeds to accidents, another will look into lists to determine the difficult point of when is a driver intoxicated, and the third will try to settle the position of what limitations in size, weight, and carrying capacity should be placed on motor-trucks. An engineer described the "limited way" as the highway of the future' for moving great volumes of traffic to congested areas with speed and safety. The limited way comprises, in addition to a raised medial strip and separation of traffic at intersections, raised sides to\prevent cars from running off the road as well as accelerating and decelerating lanes so that traffic coming on to the highway will not interfere with the main traffic stream.

The building of highway sidewalks was described by Mr. E. F. Copell, traffic engineer in the Massachusetts Department of Public Works. The State is investing 8,000,000 dollars, divided equally between it and the Federal Government, in building rural sidewalks. When the .work is completed there will be 400 miles of sidewalks along the most dangerous sections of highways in the State. An analysis of pedestrian accidents on country roads prompted Massachusetts to undertake this work, Mr. Copell said. He pointed out that, sidewalks would enhance real estate values and encourage families with children to live in rural districts.