Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-01-16 | Page 13 | High Toll Paid by Jaywalkers, List of S. L. Fatalities Shows

High Toll Paid by Jaywalkers, List of S. L. Fatalities Shows Man on Foot Often Takes Big Gamble When Wrong, but Seldom Is He Arrested . . .. . v 1 1 By BOB HALE " The Salt Lake pedestrian takes rather a big gamble with death or injury in motor vehicle accident. Frequently, he 1 In the wrong, but aeldbm I tie arrested If he survives n accident. , . ...' The traveler afoot make ap a majority of traffle fatality victims tg Salt Lake City and a dseabla pcreentag at Injury victim. ' A (tody Tuesday of accident record shewed this ta be traa. From figures compiled by George French, secretary of the city traffic commission, it was shown that, in 1939: ' ' Fifteen per cent of all traffic accident in the city were motor vehicle-pedestrian. Twenty-one per cent of all persons Injured in traffic accidents were Dedestrians. Sixty-eight per cent of persons killed were pedestrians. - ' Here is a three-year picture of pedestrian accident and Injuries: Year Total Accidents Pedestrians Accidents 1937 2047 276 or 13 per cent , 1938 170S 260 or IS per cent 1939 1437 225 or 15 per cent . Year Total Person Injured - Pedestrian Injured 1937... 1169 273 of 23 per cent 1938 ' 933 236 or 25 per cent 1939 948 200 or 11 per cent Of the 22 person killed in Salt Lake traffic mishap last year, 15, or 68 per cent, were pedestrians. This compares with a national na-tional average of 61 per cent , Salt Lake pedestrians behaved none toe well last year, the figure indicated. According to Mr. French, the national avenge f pedestrian killed while creasing streets against traffle light . was per cent la Salt Lake City, three of the 15 victim, or M per cent, were crossing against signals, Mr. French reported. Nationally, 43 per cent of pedestrian fatality victims were crossing cross-ing not at Intersections, while in Salt Lake City in 1939. eight victims, vic-tims, or 53 per cent of the total, were not crossing at Intersections, Pedestrians, by law. have right of way at intersections as long as they do not violate an officer's command or a traffic sign or signal. Despite the fact pedestrians often are found in the wrong, an arrest is rare. The arrest that are made are in the business district, where pedestrians pe-destrians sometimes disobey an officer's command. There is a legal question, now under study, as to whether pedestrians may be arrested tor Jaywalking in residential sections.