Show Would Wo ld Cost 2 12 Billion Dollars and Take Years to Eliminate Present Railroad Grade Crossings In U S By NEA Service NEW YORK July It 10 10 It If wo we woI I would eliminate all present grade crossings along tho the greater rail railroads I roads ot of o the he country It Is 15 estI- estI estimated estimated mated It would cost and It would take tako hears ears tt tl accomplish And even oven then wed we'd have more grade grado crossings left on the tho same roads than the number with which n e 0 began That's the anomaly ot of the acci lent cleat situation at railroad cross cross- crossIngs crossIngs Ings ENDLESS TASK During the last year for tor which i tI figures ures are available TOG grade crossings were eliminated at a acost acost cost ot of Dut But In the same time new crossIngs had cropped up leaving more than live five times the number at atthe atthe athe the beginning In view of ot this situation rail railroad road and safety officials are de- de de pending on the- the gospel of ot safely to reduce accidents between au automobiles and trains That doesn't mean that the roads and government authorities arent aren't continuing the elimination of grade crossings at Important Iders Intersections In New York alone has been appropriated t ed yet yet that will pay for tor eliminating only 2000 ot of the crossings booked for tor this work EDUCATE DRIVERS More emphasis however will willbe willbe willbe be placed on education ot of auto drivers and Instilling In them the factor of ot caution A recent national survey ot of the causes ot of grade crossing accidents denies the general belief that most cros crossing accidents are due to physical hazards such as ob obstructed view The Tho figures show that 63 per cent ot of such accidents happen en where the view Is la open end and 70 per cent of ot them happen happenIe Ie f day daylight 1 MANY HIT TRAINS Besides most ot of these accidents happen at crossings with which drivers are familiar And 14 r pet cent are due to motorists running jam lam Into the sides of ot the trains several cars back ot oL the engine r I I |