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Show AMERICAN HIGHWAYS A SHAMBLES. A recent, release of the National Safety council points out that laws to control pedestrians on streets and highways may be necessary, unless walkers themselves take steps to eliminate the pedestrian hazard. In an average year, about one-half of all automobile deaths are suffered by pedestrians. And, contrary to the general belief, the pedestrian is not an innocent bystander run down by a Machiavellian motorist. He is, in a great number of cases where death or serious injury results, solely to blame. Larger cities, for the most part, have laws against jay-walking the practice of crossing the streets against the signal bells or lights. Smaller towns may be called upon to pass similar legislation pedestrian carelessness isn't limited to the metropolitan me-tropolitan centers. Again, thousands of accidents are caused by pedestrians walking on the right on highways and roads, where they can't see cars coming up behind them. It is being urged that this offense be made punishable pun-ishable by a fine, precisely as fines are levied against an automobile operator oper-ator guilty of driving on the wrong side of the road. There is great need for unremitting, concentrated educational work against automobile accidents, modernization modern-ization of driving laws, and law enforcement. en-forcement. The American highway is a shambles over 30,000 killed in 1933 where the reckless, the incompetent incom-petent and the careless menace our lives and property. |