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Show Nation's Millionth Traffic Death Shows Communities' Need for Safety Programs On some as yet unknoivn day this month the United States will record the millionth traffic fatality to have occurred in the short span of years since the automobile was introduced us a factor in our civilization. This is a grimly dramatic fact, and upon it the National Safety Council has based an excellent nation-wide advertising and publicity campaign to awaken all of us to the very real personal danger with which our emphasis on motor transportation A PJMIH STR&S7 FEATURE is threatening us. No one knows, of course, who the "millionth man" will be; and, such is the nature of mass statistics, his identity probably ivill remain unknown, ivrapped in the anonymity anony-mity of a column of figures, even after his violent death has occurred. The devastating thing about this idea is that the millionth traffic traf-fic fatality could turn out to be any one of us. We are not necessarily protected by the fact that we live in a small, relatively rela-tively quiet town where traffic hazards might be supposed to be considerably less than in a large city. Carelessness, bad driving habits, disregard for traffic rules can be just as fatal here as anywhere else. A high level of traffic safety is not a natural phenomenon in any community. It may be made to happen. A more or less consistent, community-ivide emphasis niust be placed upon up-on the subject, uith the purpose of planting the safety theme firmly in the mind of every person motorist or pedestrian in town. Can a smaller toicn, icith limited funds at its disposal, do an effective job in making its citizens safety-conscious? The ansicer, generally, is "yes." A fine example along these lines was set last year by Grove City, Pennsylvania, which sponsored a "Safety Week" at a cost of only $33.50 to the city. The movement was started by the public affairs committee commit-tee of the local Kiwanis club, which, after things began developing, de-veloping, turned over the sponsorship to a committee representing repre-senting all of the organizations in town. Thus, it became a full-fledged community project. Because Grove City ivas hesitant as to the best way to conduct the t(Safety Week," various national and stale organizations or-ganizations were called upon for assistance and cooperation, including the National Safety Council and the Western Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania Safety Council. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Bureau of Highway Safety, and the Slate Police also sent representatives to Grove City to help. Three committees were set up publicity, finance, and project. Literature was distributed, some of which ivas produced pro-duced locally by the police department. Boy Scouts distributed distribut-ed Green Cross stickers to every home. Lapel buttons were given out by merchants and in the scliools. Gasoline stations passed out "Check Your Driving" circulars. All local organizations had special traffic programs at regular meetings. One-minute traffic safely trailers ivere shoivn at the motion picture theaters. Persons prominently identified ivilh traffic safety gave addresses before school assemblies and community gatherings. Pedestrian Pedes-trian warnings were stenciled on sideivalks, and traffic lines were repainted, re-painted, particularly those around schools. Besides calling the public's attention at-tention to the need for traffic safety, safe-ty, the "Safety Week" resulted in a long-range benefit: the organization organiza-tion on a permanent basis of the Grove City Safely Council. Sua rjjV The major cost of staging "Safely Week" was underwritten underwrit-ten by various interested organizations in town, and expense-es expense-es over and above that amounted to only $33.50. This would seem to constitute, in general, a safety-emphasis program which might he sponsored by almost any snrdl community that would be willing to adapt it to its own needs and resources. |