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Show PRECAUTION NEEDED AT RAILROADGROSSINGS Motorists D x, Kxevvisv The I'm. Ier Care Itel'oie Going Over Tracks, Says Lawyer, and an Authority Au-thority on Safety. Same Precaution Precau-tion Psed by Street Car Employes I rged for (he Average Motorist to Cut Down ( lie Heavy Death Toll. (tiy Howard Elliot. .Secretary and Efficiency Committee, S. '., L. A., and S. h. K. It. ) If auto drivers were as careful as street car drivers, collisions between automobiles and trains would as rare as those between trains ami street cars. Ik-fore a trolley car crosses a steam road at grade, where there is no human flagman, one member mem-ber of the crew goes forward, lookf both ways and listens. If the road be clear he gives the "come ahead" signal. If not, the car must not move until danger is past. Suggest this procedure to the auto driver and he smiles. "Uneccssary," "A waste of lime," and "too much bother," arc some of his excuses. Yet this one simple precaution pre-caution would, if followed, practically practical-ly eliminate the grade crossing horror. hor-ror. There are more and utroiigci' reasons why the auto driver should be more careful than the motorman. The motorman is prohibited from talking to passengers. There is no such prohibition for auto drivers. The motorman must pass a rigid examination ex-amination as to eye-sight, hearing, steadiness of nerve and sobriety. The auto driver is subjected to no such test. Therefore, even if the conductor did not go ahead and flag across, the motorman would still be more apt to effect a safe passage than the auto driver, who oftentimes is talking and does not have his mind concentrated , on the business of driving. Another thing. To the. atrect car employe the passengers are so many "person Perhaps he could call none of them by name. If one should sicken and die, he would not shed a tear. Yet he protects his charges with extraordinary care. The la-demands la-demands it, the rules of his company require it, and his best judgement dictates it. The auto driver's passengers are usually has kith and kin. Their lives are as precious to him as his own. If one should die, his heart would bleed. Yet he races across a railway track looking neither to right nor left (as careful observation show a vast majority do) and then calls unreasonable and . unnecessary for his adoption those precaution which street railway companies take to safegaurd the lives of those in whom they have only a passing interest. inter-est. 'WOT QUESTION OF COST." It is not a matter of damages. If you think it is, how much, Mr. Automobile Auto-mobile Driver, will you take for, your daughter or your son? It is a rule of law in nearly every State in the Union that the highway high-way traveler at a railroad crossing must LOOK AND LISTEN at a place where he can look and listen effectively; effec-tively; that he mmst look and listen both ways, and that if by so doing he could have seen a train and avoided avoid-ed a collision with it, and a collision occurs, the presumption arises thai he either failed to look and listen or was heedless of what i-3 saw and heard, in either of which events he would be guilty of negligence barring recovery. In the following States, the Courts hold that in addition to looking and ' 'sterling the traveler on the highway high-way must STOP: Oregeon, Maryland, Mary-land, Massachusetts, Alabama, Indi ana, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey. Maine, Wisconsin, Michigan, West Virginia and California. What the railway companies want, and what all students of the problem believe deseirable, is that drivers of vehicles on reaching railway crossings cross-ings shall be even more careful than appears necessary, not because any rule or law compels it, but because the love of life .for themselves and zithers should impel them to habits of extreme care. "TAKING THE LEAD." The railway companies arc taking the lead in an endeavor to eliminate accidents. In most parts of the country coun-try they represent the only organizec, effort to combat the evil. The Auto Club of Southern California has done a most wonderful work in plic-ing plic-ing sign posts at points of danger. It is a pity that like work cannot be done by the automobile organizations every where. The Lone Island Itailniad is em i-loyhiK vigorous tactics to brine home to the public the dangers of rec kless automobile driving on Long Island. Instead of the la'U"'v") phrases. "Stop. Lool; ami L.isien. or aiiger." or "Safety First." they have posted in conspicuous places all over the system large streamer signs bearing the following inscription: "This GiU May Save Your Life Today. All the precautions in the world will nol save the lives of those who drive anlo mobiles, re'-Messi, over rail road crossings. When approaeli-ing approaeli-ing a crossing, pli'-ci- STfll', LOOK, AND LIST ION. We are doing our part. Won't ou do yours? "Long Island I ,'a.i 1 roa d ." This campaign is resulting in a great reduction in accidents. In Southern California the railways rail-ways have installed, at a great many crossings, wigwag ir moving signal;;, sig-nal;;, lighted at nighl. They have proved very effective. "IGNORE THE SIGNALS." Hut it is noted that many autoisls .ignore the signals, and at places where the railways have lowered the gales in the face of approaching trains it is no! infrequent for drivers to crash through the gates before (hey notice that they are down. The Long Island Railroad, tired of having hav-ing autos driven through the gates, is now experimenting with gates made of heavy wooden spars the size of a large telephone pole.- They are painted in black and white stripes to make them as conspicuous as possi ble. l!u( no system has yet been devised, devis-ed, or can be invented, which is "fool-proof." "fool-proof." What should be organized at once Is an "Auto Prfvers' Cure ful Club." Us dues, a few seconds' wail at grade crossings, an occasional ten-foot walk across tracks, and the physical exertion of an arm swing. Us benefits, long life and freedom from injury. Its motto, "More Weddings, Wed-dings, Less Funerals." "HERE IS PLEDGE." The I'ledge: "1 p.omise to henceforth hence-forth exercise extreme care at the in-tersecHons in-tersecHons of road and rail. On reaching a crossing. 1 will stop, look and listen. If there is an automatic flagman. I will look diligently both ways, whether the signal is moving or nol. If there is more than one in my car, one will he appointed monitor mon-itor to walk across, and survey the situation. If the way k clear, the monitor will signal to "come ahead." using the same arm movements (hat railway flagmen use in passing signals sig-nals (u the eAgincer. Jn all cea.se I will observe signs and signals, but in no case will I rely entirely upon them. If I do not own an auto. I will be equally careful as a pedestraiu, and will exert myself to secure new members of the Careful Club of the Automobile States of America." |
