AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS

Even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro …

—Dan. 12:4

361 U. S. Traffic Fatalities

More people have died in traffic accidents since Americans began using automobiles than in all the wars the US has ever fought.

Between 1900 and 1930, more people were killed and injured celebrating Independence Day than in the War of Independence itself.

In 1978, 52,000 Americans lost their lives in highway accidents. This compared with 55,100 deaths in 1973 amounts to a reduction of 18%. The lower death rates were attributed to the ’73 oil embargo which lowered US speed limits to 55 miles per hour and reduced driving.

362 Fatal Days Of Week

According to insurance statistics, motor vehicle accident deaths are most frequent on Saturday, with Sunday running a close second. These two days together contribute approximately two fifths of the accidents with fatal outcome. Holidays also are marked by a high toll of motor vehicle fatalities. Christmas Day, or one of the two days preceding it, usually is found to have the worst record for the year. New Year’s Day also ranks high.

363 First Auto Accident

The first automobile accident occurred on May 30, 1896, in New York City when a car driven by Henry Welles ran into bicycle rider Evelyn Thomas, fracturing her leg.

364 First Auto Traffic Death

The first auto traffic death was registered on September 13, 1899. On that date H. H. Bliss, a real estate dealer, was killed in New York City as he was returning from a successful interview. He stepped from the trolley at Central Park West at 74th Street. A passing auto struck him down, and he became the first of the over two million Americans and Canadians to lose their lives this way.

That figure tops the total number of casualties in all the wars of American and Canadian history.

—Christian Victory

365 Death Car Of Sarajevo

The tragedy that precipitated World War I started with “the death car of Sarajevo.” On June 28, 1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated while riding in that car, igniting the World War. In the following 12 years, the car changed hands 15 times—figuring in six major accidents which killed 13 people and injured many. Its last collison happened in Rumania where it became a total wreck. It was repaired and repainted but preserved in Vienna, never to be used again.

366 Psyching Speeders In Japan

To slow down speeders in Japan, where traffic accidents kill 47 people a day, the police have taken to psychological warfare by planting dummy cops near intersections and in the bushes along country roads. The police claim that 99% of motorists hit the brakes when they spot the dummies, especially at night when headlights make the fakes look all the more realistic.

367 Hymns For Speeders

An Anglican clergyman has suggested suitable hymns for drivers who have the urge to speed:

At 75 miles an hour: “Nearer, My God, to Thee.”

At 85 miles an hour: “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, I’ll Be there.”

At 95 miles an hour: “Lord, I m Coming Home.”

368 Not Really Shortcuting

Onetime Indianapolis Speedway Driver Cliff Bergere drove a 15-block course in Colorado Springs, Colo., carefully adhering to traffic rules, finished in nine minutes and 35.1 seconds. Then, with police permission, he went around again at illegal speeds; he broke 52 traffic rules but was able to cut only 3.9 seconds off his previous mark.

—Time

369 Kissing Versus Car Control

At Boston, police arrested a woman for kissing in an automobile. Nothing wrong in this, except that she was driving the car at 45 miles per hour and the kiss lasted 5 minutes. Moreover, the car was whizzing along without lights. “Osculation,” ruled Boston’s Motor Vehicle Commissioner Frank Godwin, “should be performed only when the car is stopped.”

The lady’s partner claimed that he was in a hurry to get home to his wife, and that if she stopped the car for five minutes, he might make the wife angry. The Commissioner suspended the lady’s license for one week “to get the kissing out of her system in the next seven days.”

370 Epigram On Auto Accidents

•     Fast, reckless driving often leads to slow, soft music.

—E. C. Mckenzie

•     Seen on entering St. John, Ind. : “Drive Carefully. See St. John. Not St. Peter.”

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