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Show What Should Drivers Fear? When safety specialists tell us that more than half of the drivers killed in grade-crossing accidents last year were disregarding warning signs and signals, we cannot help wondering what is so basically wrong with the psychology psy-chology of such drivers. Why is it that a motorist who will stop instantly at a policeman's warning signal will, a moment later, drive placidly through a red light -- and possibly straight into a serious accident? Various excuses are offered by motorists caught violating vio-lating traffic control devices, the most common being that the driver didn't notice the light, or that he was going too fast to stop when it turned red. Actually, if the truth were admitted, the big difference was that he was afraid of the traffic policeman but not afraid of the red light. Fear is a powerful deterrent. But it is possible that much energy is being wasted running away from the wrong bogey? Are some motorists perhaps more afraid of being arrested for a safety violation than of violating their own safety? If that is the case, they are misinterpreting the very reason for law enforcement and it is high time to take a different view of traffic policemen and highway patrolmen. patrol-men. If sometimes it appears that these guardians of safety enjoy bawling out traffic law-breakers, possibly it is because thev much Drefer it to Dickine them un in a basket after a fatal accident. Motorists should prefer that, too. Traffic control devices are the outposts of the law. They cannot prevent motorists from killing themselves, they can only try. Every motorists will find that it pays to stop for them, look at them, and listen to what they say! |