| Show Darkness Brings Death Municipal economy in street lighting which has plunged plunge l the thoroughfares of many American cities into utter darkness at ni night ht is beginning to yield a macabre fruit Small savings in power bills have haye resulted in a sharp rise in economic losses and in the number of automobile fatalities after dark This is the conclusion of Richard RichardE E Simpson illuminating engineer for the National Bureau of Cas- Cas Casualty Cas Casualty and Surety Underwriters who has made a year three-year study of time night-time traffic conditions in 60 American cities One trouble Mr Simpson says is that darkness and speed have combined to lure the average mo- mo motorist motorist mo motorist into the distance he can see ahead In an emergency he cannot stop within the distance illuminated by his headlights With street and highway lights turned off he is a whole century out of step and is attempting to use century speeds under century visibility conditions The result is that 59 per cent of all automobile deaths occur be- be because because be because cause of accidents at night in spite of the fact that traffic is lighter than during the day As usual the pedestrian gets the j worst of it and 66 per cent of all deaths in his class occur as arc a re- re result re result sult suIt of night accidents A striking argument for ade ade- adequate ade- ade adequate adequate quate street lighting is given in inan inan inan an analysis of two groups of the cities studied One group increased its budget for street lights by 11 per cent or 9 cents per capita It enjoyed a 25 per cent reduction in night fatalities and an economic saving of per capita The Theother Theother Theother other reduced its expenditures by 14 per cent or 19 cents per capita and suffered a 76 per cent increase in night fatalities and an economic loss of 69 cents per capita Obvious Obviously Obviously Obviously ly communities pay for good street lighting whether they get it or not Another phase of the report shows the efficacy of of of various grade grad grades grades grades es of street lighting With grade A lighting the fatality rate is 7 times higher than during the day with grade B 10 times higher with grade C 14 times hi higher her and with grade rade D 16 times higher A grade AA street re- re reported re reported ported in the survey actually ex- ex experienced ex experienced fewer at night than during the day Turn off your street lights and you turn on the fatality rate I |
