Sudden Death in Arizona

Sudden Death in Arizona Safety Engineer Miller Compiles Comprehensive Report of Motor Vehicle Accidents During 1935

By EARL V. MILLER, Safety Engineer WHAT about this accident business?

Are we any nearer a solution to the problem than we were a decade ago, or are we maintaining with wild abandon the daily slaughter of innocent people?

Perhaps the following analysis of motor vehicle accidents in Arizona during 1935 will speak for itself.

During the year 1935 there was recorded by this department 1,908 accidents cases involving 3,157 drivers, and 214 pedestrians. This is an 11 per cent increase in accidents over 1934, but is just one-half of the 22 per cent increase for 1934 over 1933.

There were reported 187 fatal accidents in which 217 persons were killed, and 1,036 non-fatal accidents in which 1,905 persons were injured. The number of persons killed increased about 6 per cent, the number of those injured increased about 29 per cent while accidents involving property damage decreased this year about 2½ per cent. This may show a greater severity of the accidents that do happen. Pedestrian accidents show a marked similarity to the previous year, there being 208 such accidents in 1935 against 202 in 1934 in which 52 persons were killed in 1935, and 55 in 1934, while the number injured was the same in both instances, being 162. Of the 52 pedestrians killed this year only 10 were children under 15 years. Of those 162 pedestrians injured 54 were under 15 years or about one-third of the total. While pedestrian accidents were less than 11 per cent of all accidents they were responsible for 24 per cent of all deaths, and 8½ per cent of all those injured in all accidents.

In analyzing what the pedestrians were doing when struck, we find that 64 per cent were walking in the roadway, 19 per cent playing in the roadway, 3 per cent “jay-walking,” or crossing at a point other than at an intersection. The others were either working in the road way, crossing against signals, hitching on vehicles or getting on or off vehicles. Again we find most pedestrian accidents occurring in areas provided for motor traffic. It seems that when we realize that about one-fourth of all our deaths are pedestrians, and that most of these were walking in or very close to a traffic lane, there must be some answer.

Signs placed along our highways requiring pedestrians to walk to the left, facing traffic might help. The building of walkways in conjested areas is a very (Continued on Page 19)