Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-03-18 | Page 33 | "safety First" to be the Slogan of Motordom

"SAFETY FIRST"' TO BE THE SLOGAN OF MOTORDOM CO-OPERATION WITH POLIO ASKED Both Motor Car Driver and Pedestrian Requested to ' . Aid in Problem. CAMPAIGN IS PLANNED Keynote Will Be Promotion of Friendliness Between Driver and Pedestrian. By F. A. TIMMEEMAN.' Now that the welcome spring -weather Is almost upon us, v.-hich means pleasant, sunny days, dry streets, hard, smooth roads and many delightful trips, the motor car owner is Itching to get out his car, tune up the engine and ;'let 'er out." And In his elation over the manner man-ner in which the old car (or the new one. If he were able to obtain one of the precious models) responds to the slightest touch of the throttle he is likely to forget for the moment the existence of such-things such-things as traffic regulations, speed ordinances ordi-nances and such things, which were made for his protection as well as the pedestrian. pedes-trian. Fur the past three years the number of automobiles owned and operated in the city has doubled with each season. The one almost upon us promises even more than double the number of the previous year. With this multiplication of motor cars the necessity of a well-regulated police po-lice traffic department and regulations to enforce carefulness on the part of both t.:e driver a.nd the pedestrian looms In greater proportions. . PHiian vs. Car. Jie question of right of way between motorist and the pedestrian has ex-isted ex-isted ever since the first machine made . its appearance upon city streets. It still remains to be' solved to a degree that ylll please both the man at the wheel and - ' '"an- on foot. Traffic experts have raajl their brains for a solution' of the projiim, which, owlnsr to Its debatabilitv, has been responsible for the death of thousands of persons and still promises to exact a yearly toll. ' . Probably the problem has not been more thoroughly and briefly explained than In a recent article by Dr. Woods Hutchinson In the New York American, wno writes in part: The motor car has literally swept civilization off Its feet, one moiety by carrying them, the other by running run-ning over them, and at present Indications Indi-cations will probably continue to do so. The only question is, Plow are we soing to adjust ourselves to it? 11 est plus fort que nous, as the French . say it ts stronger than we are. The pedestrian needs to be protected from the automobile and the automobile from the pedestrian, each being a nuisance and an Interference to the other. How can it be done? Motor drivers have rights so have redestrlans. when one faction oversteps nls bounds he treads on the toes of the other and war results. The pedestrian has a right to use the sidewalk, while the vehicle unquestionably has the right to the highway. ' Vehicles are not allowed on the sidewalk, and pedestrians, logically, should not be allowed on the highways. But vehicles have to pass the sidewalks, or cross walks, as thev are called, at sireet Intersections, and pedestrians have to cross the highways to get from one sidewalk to another. Should Use Crossings. Whore traffic Is heavy, would it not be reasonable, then, to expect the walkers walk-ers to cross streets at crossings? If thev keep out of the way or vehicles on the roadways, vehicles can properlv be required re-quired to yield the right of way to them at all crossings. Standardization of this ouhi prevent countless accidents. Tn summing up. three things become clearly fixed: First, that pedestrians have a right to expect certain things of drivers; second, that drivers have a right to ex- pect certain things of pedestrians: and, "y third, that it is the right of both drivers Vrt pedestrians to rely upon the authorl-tNfcto authorl-tNfcto enact Intelligent laws and enforce them properly. one thing is evident: There never will be a successful solution without the hearty co-operation of the motorist, the pedestrian pedes-trian and the police traffic department. While even this may not effect a thorough cure, the end will never be In sight until this co-operation is forthcoming. It Is safe to say that the largest and moFt efficient department in the United States could not even hope to cope with the traffic situation here In Salt Iake If some sort of support wag not given from the motorist. Houvy fines tend to make the willful speeder all the mono vicious, Tvhile threats that the second offense will result disastrously often fall to make the necessary Impression. Sllff jail sentences and the demand that licenses be foi felted for serious offenses of-fenses have been imposed on motorists in many large cities with some degree of success. Hut on the other hand, it haa. In many cases, severed the friendliness that should exist between the driver and the traffic policeman. While many per-pens per-pens have been given the needed lesson through the system, some have gained the Impression that the traffic squad Is oijlv there to pounce upon them at the first opportunity and drag them to the police court. Semaphores Will Help. Friendliness between the policeman, motor car owner and the pedestrian will be the keynote to the system of the police po-lice traffic department In attempling to handle successfully tht heay traffic which wiil be here shortly. The campaign cam-paign is being carrier on under the supervision su-pervision of Traffic Sergeant Lester wire. Failure to gain tile co-operation of both motorist and pedestrian in the system will mean Its collapse, and sterner measures mea-sures must then he adopted. The Installation of the new traffic semaphores at the principal Intersections of the city is expected to aid In a large way In solving the traffl-c problem. Through this semaphore system It will be yost Impossible for the driver to Vr7)e confused as to the time when Khould proceed across the streets. A green light will be flaehed to blm as a signal to proceed, while the red signal will hold him back. Although the semaphore was not installed in-stalled for pedestrians, they will be requested re-quested to cross the intersections at the signals, the same as the driver of a motor mo-tor vehicle. If the persons on foot will obey the regulations demanded of the motorist mo-torist in this respect, the death toll will be greatly cut down, according to the police.