Berkeley has won a First Place Award in the 16th annual nationwide
Pedestrian Protection Contest conducted by the American Automobile
Association and sponsored in northern and central California and Nevada
by the California State Automobile Association.
Berkeley received the award for its outstanding reduction in pedestrian
deaths.
A Third Place Award went to San Leandro for its reduction of pedestrian
fatalities and excellent pedestrian protection program.
Honorable Mention Awards were won by Sacramento and Richmond for the
over-all excellence of their pedestrian protection programs.
Twenty cities were awarded Special Citations for various individual
phases of their programs. They were:
Oakland, Alameda, Hayward, Stockton, Modesto, Monterey, Pacific Grove,
Hanford, Tracy, Grass Valley, Sausalito, Ross, Manteca, Sebastopol,
Fairfield, Red Bluff, Mount Shasta, Lakeport, Sutter Creek, and Reno,
Nevada.
In addition to the above awards, 37 cities received Commendation
Certificates for no pedestrian deaths during the year. They were:
Albany, Arcata, Belmont, Benicia, Burlingame, Carmel, Ceres, Chico,
Concord, Daly City, Dunsmuir, Fairfax, Fowler, Hillsborough, Livermore,
Lodi, Martinez, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Mill Valley, Oroville, Piedmont,
Pittsburg, Roseville, Salinas, San Bruno, Sanger, San Rafael, Santa
Clara, Susanville, Turlock, Ukiah, Vacaville, Willows, Yreka, and Elko
and Sparks, Nevada.
The cities were judged in their respective population groups on the
basis of pedestrian safety activities and fatality and injury records.
The nationwide contest spurs direct action in cities to insure greater
pedestrian safety. The results are obvious; fatalities are declining
despite growing motor vehicle registration. Before the contest began in
1939, as many as 15,500 pedestrians were killed a year, compared with
the 7,900 killed in 1954.
_SAFE DRIVING PRACTICES_
Three-lane highways have a reputation as accident breeders—the middle
lane often being referred to as the no-man’s land of the open road.
When using the middle lane of a three-lane highway for passing or
turning during daylight hours, a sound driving technique is to turn on
your _headlights_.
The lights serve as a warning to oncoming motorists not only that the
middle lane is in use but also, and more important, that your car is
approaching them in the middle lane.
Many motorists are confused by the general appearance of modern
automobiles; and instances have actually occurred where drivers thought
the other car in the middle lane was going in the same direction they
were, until it was too late to avoid an accident.
There is no law requiring drivers to turn on their headlights under
these circumstances, so don’t depend upon other drivers to have their
lights on if they are in the middle lane. If yours are on, you are not
only being courteous to other drivers, but also protecting yourself by
alerting them to the fact that the middle lane is occupied by an
approaching car. Also, remember to turn off your lights as you pull out
of the middle lane.
_Curves AND Crossroads_
Sign at entrance to a crossroads town: “Gas killed 3,029 people in this
state last year—2 inhaled it; 27 put a match to it; 3,000 stepped on
it.”
_The difference between a straight-eight and the V-eight is just a
matter of whether you like your troubles strung out down the line or all
in one place._
Mrs. Jones (on telephone): “This time you really got yourself out on a
limb!”
Mr. Jones: “Yes, dear. I drove off a cliff and was hung up all night in
a tree.”
_Modern automobiles are getting so free and easy to drive that we need
power steering and power brakes to keep them under control._
Traffic Officer: “Your honor, I followed this man and he drove clear
through town with an arm around this woman.”
Judge: “Something’s wrong. It’s not logical for a man to drive through
town with his arm around his wife.”
_Parking conditions have improved in some localities—you only have to
climb over one car to get into your own._
[Illustration: “_With all the gadgets the automobile people put in
their cars, it’s a wonder they wouldn’t think of a garbage disposal
unit._”
—Courtesy George Lichty and the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate.]