The Heavy Toll of Street Accidents in London.
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ALMOST for the first time there is a truly despondent tone in the views of the chairman of the London "Safety First" Council on the question of the increase in the number of traffic accidents. It appears that the year 1923 was the worst on record, the number of accidents having reached the terrible figure of 0,813, showing increases of no less than 22 per cent, on the previous year' and of 130 per cent. in the five years subsequent to 1918. During the war there was a steady decrease, but the figures have since bounded up.
It is, of course, readily understandable that, with the steady growth of traffic and with the increasing fondness of outdoor activities brought about by the change of habits during the period of hostilities, there are greater possibilities of accidents. But the difficulty is that we do not "live and learn," that human nature is not in any sense altered, and that carelessness and thoughtlessness are characteristics of the Londoner, who has developed almost a disregard of traffic and of the need for caution when amongst it. This fact was emphasized in our hearing recently, when a travelled man from the provinces said that the Londoner seems to have acquired a new sense which will take him across a crowded street whilst leaving the provincial standing, fearful, at the kerb.
In New York, in 1922, the proportion of fatal acci dents per million of the population was twice that of London in 1923, but the traffic there is considerably heavier and the area is Jess. But for the special attention which, for some years, has beers paid to the question of " Safety First" the fatalities in New York would he stupendous.
Commercial vehicles and private cars, unfortunately, head the list of the vehicles concerned in these accidents, together being responsible for more than one-half of the total. It is rather significant that buses and cabs, the drivers of which are required to undergo careful driving tests, figure low in the list. These facts are employed by the " SafetyFirst" Council as arguments in favour of a requirement that all motor drivers should undergo proficiency tests, and, although it has never been proved that such tests would help to diminish the risk of accident, public opinion may, if there be no material improve-. ment; be inclined to favour their establishment. One cannot but feel the greatest admiration for the work of the " Safety First " Council. It has pursued a steady course in educating the public, the children, and the vehicle drivers upon their respective duties 'and responsibilities, and it is probably not too much to say that, but for this work, so willingly, ably, and intelligently -carried out, the tale of disaster in London would have been much worse than it is.
How Conservatism Hinders Development.
SEYERAL cases have come before our notice !lately in which large concerns have only quite recently adopted motoi vehicles in place of horse transport. The reasons given for this lack of enterprise are many and various, but they may be reduced to the simple fact that those concerned with the handling of the goods had got into such a rut that new and improved systems of transport were not. even considered for many years, until the costliness of the old methods forced the directors to investigate the possibilities of the motor vehicle. In each case the change-over from the horse to the petrol engine has proved extremely beneficial, reducing the cost of transport and speeding up other sections of the undertaking which were dependent thereon. We believe that similar benefits could be obtained by many firms still using horses, if only the advantages of the motor vehicle could be impressed upon those responsible. There is no doubt that, when the transport section of a large undertaking is in the hands of a man who lias been accustomed to the horse vehicle for many S/ears, a great effort has to be made to overcome his prejudices and to break down his conservative attitude. Facts and figures must be given to show him the advantages of modern mechanical transport, and 'we think that more might be done in this direction if the industry, as a whole, developed a publicity Scheme aiming particularly at the conversion of those who still adhere to the horse and cart.
TheNew Yarrow Cross-over Roads.
AMOST interesting proposal—and a really generous offer into the bargain—is that made by Sir Alfred Yarrow to erect, at his own expense, an elevated cross-over road at a junction wheie traffic congestion is constantly occurring, the suggestion being that Oxford Circus, London, would be a suitable place for the experiment. The authorities concerned, the London County Council, the Westminster City Council and the St. Marylebone Borough Council are now giving consideration to the proposal, and it is to be hoped that it will be adopted. Until such an experiment is tried and given the two years' operation stipulated by Sir Alfred, it cannot be said that such a change is impracticable or uneconomical. Careful study of the plans will show that there is no loss of roadway, but rather a gain, and that the traffic can be kept constantly on the flow, but it is obvious that, for the scheme to bear full fruit, it must be followed up with other eross-overs, because traffic along a road can only be accelerated by the removal of every bottleneck—not merely one. It is also essential that the cross-over road be made strong enough to carry the heaviest traffic, otherwise it would be impossible to secure the uninterrupted flow of traffic at which the scheme aims. We suggest that, if the scheme be adopted, the name of " Yarrow cross-over roads" be given to the method as a memorial to a clever and generous benefactor.
Encouraging Mobile Advertising.
THE announcement of the National Council of the Commercial Motor Users Association that their 18th annual parade will incorporate a section devoted to advertising bodywork is of c18 particular interest, as it shows that, at least, this branch of commercial motor vehicle activity is -receiving at least some measure of encouragement. ' Hitherto, there have been a few isolated attempts to produce vehicles really attractive to the eye, but these have been sporadiss in their nature. Possibly it was due to the fact that for a long time the attitude of the police towards vehicles of this class, particularly if they were built of an unusual shape or presented an exceptionally novel appearance, has had something to do with the lukewarm interest shown in the direction of the development of really handsome and well decorated machines. About 18 months ago we dealt with the whole question of the likelihood of police interference with advertising vehicles. Information derived from the highest sources showed that the police were prepared, within reason, to adopt an attitude of benevolent neutrality. Theoretically, no vehicle ispermitted on the streets of, say, London, for other purposes than that of transporting goods or passengers. In fact, the sandwich man is the only authorized form on'mobile publicity, but; in practice, iE is permissible for a vehicle' to carry a reasonable amount of advertising matter and to display it in such a manner as will attract the attention of the public, providing it is not of so startling a nature that it is liable to cause obstruction. Again, the Use and Construction Order prevents the use of a vehicle likely to prove a danger. A typical example of such a vehicle was one built some years back, which had the appearance of running in reverse when it was actually running forward. There were many Imssibilities of danger and accident with such a vehicle, and. itwas wisely prevented from running in the Metropolitan area. -We have always done everything in our power to foster the growth of artistic advertising in connection with motor vehicles, and we are always willing to describe and illustrate any novel and handsome types which may be constructed for actual service. There is very little likelihood of any action being taken by the police authorities against the use of such vehicles, providing that they carry goods in the ordinary. course of trade and are not merely run purely for their advertising value.
Air Cleaners for Carburetters.
pviiANY years ago a series of tests was carried out which showed conclusively that quite a large proportion of the so-called carbon in engine cylinders and the foreign matter in the sump really consists of road dust drawn through the carburetter. It is, therefore, interesting to notice that air cleaners are becoming quite popular in America. Obviously, any reduction in the rate at which carbonization occurs is of direct benefit to the users of petrol engines, because the frequency with which the power Unit must be dismantled is largely dependent upon this factor. In this country air cleaners have been used to a limited extent on agricultural motors working in dusty atmospheres, but no attempt seems to have been made to popularize these devices on co.mrnercial vehicles. Two types are now being used for this purpose in the United States, one of which consists of a filter, Whilst in the other device the air passes through spiral passages, with the result that the dust is thrown outwards by centrifugal force on the principle of the cream separator, the air being thus largely cleansed of the objectionable. material. It is, of course, highly desirable that the engine should be kept as simple as possible, but the addition of an air cleaner of the centrifugal type would not complicate the design and would involve no additional attention on the part of the driver. In view of the advantages claimed for these devices, it will be interesting to see whether they will be taken up in this country.