Arizona Safety Council Notes

The following editorial was written by Mary Shivvers, a student in the Automobile Driving Class at Phoenix Union High School. It was published in the school paper-The Coyote Journal, and during Phoenix Safety Week it was entered in a contest with some sixty-five other papers on various phase of safety. There it won first prize. That it has been so well received shows that the writer has managed to tell convincingly that there is a studentfelt need which is being met by the Phoenix Union High School. The school authorities have always been desirous of meeting positively the problems facing young people today. Guidance and training in the actual driving situation is a far cry from ordinary academic precedure, but who would be bold enough to give anything but encouragement to schools pioneering in such positive accident prevention work. We hope many high schools will be offering such work in the very near future.-Editor.

AUTOMOBILE DRIVING CLASSES

The increasing hazard of highway travelel constitutes one of today's most serious problems. It must be faced and solved by the Youth of the nation. Every year 2,400,000 boys and girls reach the legal age to drive. Reports of the National Safety Council show that the accidental fatalities of the 15 to 24 year age group to which the high school and college students belong has a higher death rate than any other group. Because of the crowded curriculum of the average student statistics it is apparent that it is the high school and college group which are especially in need of safety education. If these groups could be trained to become safety minded the results would be a tremendous reduction in fatilities. High schools and colleges are just beginning to realize this and are introducing safety automobile driving courses.

Accidents are caused by many various factors: excessive speed, liquor, ignorance of traffic laws, defects of mind and body, unsafe highways, faulty mechanical conditions of the car, fatigue, and unskilled drivers. The driver of the car has most of these causes either under his direct control or must be cautious and skillful enough to compensate for them. Just as the driver on the poorly construct-(Continued on Page 20) THE SAFETY PAGE, a regular feature of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, appears through the courtesy of the National Safety Council, Chicago, Ill., and the Arizona State Safety Council, Ethel Hickman, secretary. Address all communications to Mrs. Hickman, Arizona Highway Department, Phoenix, Ariz.

Let us take our DRIVING and WALKING seriously. SLOW DOWN and help save some one's life-OBSERVE the laws governing pedestrians and save your own life.

Projects submitted to the County Councilcil presidents for the month of January are as follows:

The State Safety Council is recommending and sponsoring some very much needed proposed legislation. The state office has asked its county presidents to "start the ball rolling" in all counties in order that this proposed legislation will be enacted. At such time as drafts of this are ready, copies will be sent to all individuals, groups, organizations, clubs and in fact every one interested in securing safety on our highways, with the request that they "put their shoulders to the wheel" as highway accident prevention is EVERY CITIZEN'S DUTY.

Yavapai County Council (A. A. Foster, President) advises that a Prescott Safety Week, was put on January 11th to 18th 1937.

Santa Cruz County Council (H. P. Watkins, President) advises that his county also have plans under way for a Safety Week, to be held during the month of January.

For the first nine months of 1936, statistics compiled in the state council office show that the first three major causes of automobile accidents in Arizona are as follows: First: Excessive speed.

Second: Vehicular defects.

Third: Driving on wrong side of road.

The following vivid word picture, taken from a safety pamphlet received in the (Continued on Page 20)

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN-AND LIVE

The laws in some states require an absolute stop when a motorist approaches any railroad crossing. Other state laws provide that motorists slow down and look both ways before proceeding across the tracks. The law of common sense makes it clear that it is good business and smart driving to slow down always; better still, to come to a COMPLETE STOP, and then be absolutely sure that no train is coming from either direction,