OCR Text |
Show SAFETY ON RAILS The safety record of the railroad in the present war is much better than it was in the First World war, according to the fSSth annilal report of the Interstate Commerce com mission. While there has been an increase in the last few years in the number of accidents arising from the operation of trains, says the commission, "It appears that for each class of person the fatalities were much greater in World War II, the total for all classes being 10,087 in 1917 and 9,286 in 1918 compared with ',??,! in 1942 and 5,051 in 1913. In the two decades prior to our-entry into the present war, notable not-able progress was made in reducing1 railway accidents, and especially those resulting in casualties to passengers and employes. em-ployes. In the ten years ending with 1940, the average annual an-nual number of em(plove fatalities in railway accidents of a kinds was 601 with 4,531 killed in 1907. The possibility of accidental death in railroad accidents, as a passenger, is so slight per million of persons carried, that it is almost impossible to figure. The Commission finds that wartime restrictions upon the use of materials, as well as manpower shortage, are "seriously interfering with improvement im-provement programs and with-theinstallationof railroad safety safe-ty devices and systems on additional mileage. When wartime restrictions, which now prevent extensive installations of railroad safety devices, are removed, such further action can be taken as may be found appropriate to provide greater safety in railroad operation." |