Show a.- a. three Traffic Fatalities in 36 Hours Teach Lessons on n Pedestrian Safety I Last week weck end we we had three aul auto auto- pedestrian accidents in Utah and Utah and each taught a good lesson leason on pedestrian safety which should not go unnoticed In one accident a year old Salt Lake City resident was fatally injured as he walked a across ross West Temple street streett at t South According to reports the victim ignored the traffic signal and was walking across while the thc light was red The accident also occurred late in the evening about midnight The lessons here are obvious Dont Don't Ignore traffic signals Be extra careful l lat at t night night especially especially if y you U are elderly In another accident a native of Puerto Ri Rico o. o hitchhiking from Denver to Bingham Bing Bing- Bingham Bingham ham wa was killed kille just after dark as he was WU walking along U. U S. S highway 91 in Davis Dav bounty The vic victim reportedly was walking on the wrong side of the highway highway highway high high- way that at i is with his ba back k to oncoming traffic Again Agam the lessons are obvious us Hitchhiking Hitchhiking Hitch Hitch- hiking g L is a traffic menace at an any time I because the hitchhiker is usually out in inthe inthe inthe the traffic lane thumbing a ride distracting distracting distracting dis dis- dis- dis drivers and forcing them in toward the center of the road where there i is danger of sideswiping ng cars coming in the other direction Hitchhiking Hitch Hitch- hiking biking is s particularly dangerous out on the highway and at night This fatality also niso teaches again t the lesson that wh when n walking along a highway one should ALWAYS walk facing traffic on the left hand side of the road And be espe especially especially espe espe- daily careful at night night- because it is in much more difficult fo for a a motorist to see a pedestrian out on the highway the then The third accident occurred near Bingham also at night A young resident resident resi resi- dent ot of of Copperfield stepped out of a acar acar acar car ih in which he had been given a ride He got out on the left side the side the highway highway highway high high- way side side and and was struck and almost instantly killed killed- by another car The driver of the second car said he never had a. a a chance to avoid the accident because because because be be- cause the victim stepped into the path of his car so suddenly The too common practice of f getting getting getting get get- ting out of a a car on the l left ft side stepping stepping stepping step step- ping into traffic is exceedingly dan dan- It Its It's a wonder more persons arent aren't killed or ox injured in that manner Three pedestrian fatalities in a period pe pe- pe- pe nod of less than 36 hours is far too many for Utah From all indications these three deaths were attributable solely to pedestrian carelessness fail carelessness fail failure ure to observe the most basic rules for pedestrian an safety We hope these unfortunate unfortunate unfortunate un un- un- un fortunate traffic deaths will impress others with the need for caution when walking on streets or highways especially espe espe- cia ly at night We cann cannot t hope to achieve a good traffic safety record in Utah without the fullest cooperation of pedestrians |