Show THE RIGHT TO WALK inave have pedestrians any rights the annual toll of some pedestrians killed in traffic accidents throughout the country seems to raise the question of whether an individuals right to stand and walk on his or her feet still exists in an increasingly motorized age the answer to that question can be found in current reports by safety specialists on the causes of fatal pedestrian accidents three out of every four pedestrians killed we learn were themselves violating a traffic law or committing an unsafe act by jaywalking jay walking crossing against signals coming out from behind parked cars or doing something equally foolish in other words three out of four were presuming upon a right to walk when and where they wished in utter defiance of safety considerations losing ones life is a very high price to pay for the right to walk carelessly in addition to the thousands of pedestrians lulled many thousands more were injured of whom a third were crippled for life while unknown thousands escaped accident by the skin of their teeth and continued to take chances society does not concede the right to be killed or maimed bayones by ones own foolish acts there is a moral obligation upon us all to personally use every known safety means and for those who simply will not there must be enforcement by law it has been clearly proved that the on only ly way pedestrians and automobiles can exist together safely is by having strict regulations for the protection and control of both by crossing traffic where directed when directed and as directed pedestrians will have given up the questionable privilege of matching wits with speeding autos but let us hope they will have gained the right to live |