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Show GRADE GROSSING TAKES ITS TOLL Most Serious Hazard That Safety Workers Have to Consider. "The grade crossing continues to take its toll and is one of the most serious hazards that safety workers have to consider," says Charles M. Hayes, president of the Chicago Motor Mo-tor club. "The record of grade crossing accidents ac-cidents in America," continues Mr. Hayes, "as compared with that of western Europe does not redound to our credit. True, America has more automobiles, more grade crossings, more miles of highways, and more railroad mileage, but our average of fatalities is much greater; according to figures for l!J2o, there were 19,-DOO.OOO 19,-DOO.OOO motor vehicles registered in United States. On this basis, one motorist out of every 0,000 registered lost his Ufa in a grade crossing accident. acci-dent. Casualty Record Large. "In France there were registered 1,000.000 automobiles, and one motorist motor-ist out of every 45,000 was killed at a grade crossing. The comparative figure fig-ure for Great Britain was oue out of every 05,000. This shows our casualty cas-ualty record to be five times as great as that of France, and seven times that of Great liritain. If our safety standard had been up to that of Great Britain, we should have had but 250 fatalities, aud according to the French average our loss should have been less than 400. "Out of 232,755 grade crossings used by motorists in United States, only 27,101 have any form of protection, "leaving 205,503 unguarded. In France, out of 32,500 grade crossings used by motorists, 20,000 are thoroughly protected, pro-tected, leaving only C.500 unprotected. In other words, only S per cent of the grade crossings in the United States are protected as compared with SO per cent iD France. "Our motorists are not less Intelligent Intelli-gent nor more reckless than foreign motorists. The odds are simply against them. European System Costly. "Tlie European system of guarding crossings with heavy gates, operated by day and night watchmen, has proved to be costly ; not only that, but most accidents are due to the failure of the human element. The most reliable re-liable system is that which provides for an automatic closing of the gates when the signal is dropped, giving the. train the right-of-way. The French railroad interests ure endeavoring to Introduce the automatic scheme, which places more responsibility on the highway high-way user. If the automatic system is showu to be as safe for the road user as the present and more costly one, it will he authorized atal extended. "The railroads in America have not been idle in the matter of safety," con-elin'.es con-elin'.es Mr. Hayes, "on the contrary they have bvrn extremely active, and are deserving of credit for what they have done. There is need, however, of closer co-operation between the states and the railroads, to the end that a campaign of grade crossing elimination and protection can be waged throughout the entire country and not in spots as is now the case." |