Page Eighteen 



THE I. A. A. RECORD 



33,000 Killed, Over 

 I 750,000 Injured, 1929 



Auto Accidents Take Heavy Toll, 

 I Cause and Prevention ShoTvn 



I " By V. Vaniman 



WITH 33,000 people killed and 

 over 750,000 injured in auto 

 accidents in the United States during 

 the year 1929, every thinking {jerson 

 will agree that something should be 

 done about it. Something is being done 

 and more will be done. 



A careful study of accidents by safe- 

 ty engineers indicates that at least 75 

 per cent of automobile mishaps, with 

 reasonable care, are preventable. 



j Causey of Accidents 



Following are some of the common 

 causes of accidents: 



1. Making left hand turns 



2. Passing car on grade 



3. Failing to stop when going on to 

 main highway 



4. Passing car on curve. 



5. Driving blind (going ahead full 

 speed when driver cannot see what is 

 ahead on account of bright lights, dust 

 or fog) 



6. Poor mechanical equipment and 

 lack of judgment on part of driver. 



In a safety drive put on in Evanston 

 recently by the Accident Prevention 

 Bureau it was discovered that among 

 600 cars there were no less than 538 

 defective in brakes, lights or steering 

 gears; in other words, drivers are no- 

 toriously careless about the driving 

 mechanism of the car. 



Drivers' License Law- 

 Nine states since 1916 have adopted 

 .1 drivers' license law — Masschusetts, 

 Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, 

 New Jersey, Maryland, California, Ver- 

 mont, Arizona. 



The National Safety Council is re- 

 sponsible for the statement that "Since 

 the enactment of these laws requiring 

 a drivers' license there has been 29 

 per cent fewer automobile fatalities 

 than there would have been if they had 

 experienced the ^ame per cent increase 

 which occurred in the non-licensed 

 states reporting to the U. S. Bureau." 

 This difference amounts to 22,000 lives 

 up to December 31, 1929. 



In the seven largest states — Connecti- 

 cut, Massachusetts, New York, Califor- 

 nia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and 

 Maryland the accident curve shows a 

 downward trend and in each one the 

 average of the index figures, for the 

 year following the adoption of the law, 

 is below the similar average before the 

 passage of the law — the deduction rang- 

 ing from 10 to 36 per cent. 



A total of $8 50,000,000 per year 



is the figure estimated by the Statistical 

 Bureau of the National Safety Council 

 as the cost of automobile accidents. In 

 this estimate the mortuary value of a 

 human life was estimated at $5,000. 

 September, October and November are 

 the high months in auto fatalities. 



All drivers of automobiles would like 

 to be classed as good drivers. A good 

 driver always has his car under control; 

 appreciates the problems of a fellow 

 motorist; indicates his intention by sig- 

 naling; Slops on entering main high- 

 way; does not try to pass car on curve; 

 always makes sure in passing a vehicle 

 that he will not be struck by another 

 vehicle, and actually uses more care 

 and caution than is called for by law. 

 He does not try to beat a train across 

 a railway crossing, and also makes sure 

 of the mechanical condition, and espe- 

 cially that the brakes are in good 

 working order. 



A careful study of the relation of 

 the mental condition at the time of an 

 accident indicates that anger, surprise, 

 fatigue, fear, anxiety and fascination, 

 have a direct bearing on increasing the 

 number of accidents; while self-respect, 

 happiness and good morals are positive 

 factors in accident prevention. 



Prof. 



Smith Passes 



After Brief Illness 



THE sudden passing of Professor W. 

 H. Smith, state leader of farm ad- 

 visers and for the past 20 years con- 

 nected with the University of Illinois 

 extension staff, shocked his many 

 friends throughout the state. Prof. 

 Smith failed to rally following an in- 

 testinal operation. He had been active 

 at the State Fair, Springfield, only the 

 week before his death, looking after the 

 4-H club exhibits and demonstration?. 

 Prof. Smith for many years served 

 as live stock extension specialist suc- 

 ceeding Dr. Geo. Coffey as state leader 

 whe-i he resigned more than seven 

 years ago. Prof. Smith, a graduate of 

 the University of Nebraska, was a keen 

 student of farm production problems 

 and extension work. His judgment was 

 respected by all who knew him. 



Smith befriended and took a ereat 

 deal of interest in the younger farm 

 advisers and extension men. He advo- 

 cated the group method of carrying 

 on farm advisory work rather than per- 

 sonal calls^ from farm to farm. His 

 passing will be a distinct loss to the ex- 

 tension staff at the state university. 



Farmers in the United States own 

 more than 2,500,000 radio sets, or more 

 than the number operating in any 

 other foreign country, according to a 

 late report. 



Expect Large Volume 



Limestone to Be Used 



Urge That Limestone, Rock Phos- 

 phate, Legume Plan of Soil 

 Building Be Continued 



A LARGE tonnage of agricultural 

 limestone will be spread on Illi- 

 nois farms to neutralize acid soils in 

 1930 in spite of the financial depres- 

 sion and drought conditions, according 

 to quarry operators who met recently 

 with representatives of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association. 



While there will be some recession 

 from the record years of 1929 when 

 approximately 92 5,000 tons of lime- 

 stone were spread on Illinois farms, the 

 producers state that the volume of sales 

 this year has held up well. The quarry 

 operators reported a heavy falling off 

 in orders for concrete stone and sizas 

 other than agricultural, however. As 

 a- result the supply of farm limestone 

 which is a by-product in the manufac- 

 ture of other stone, is lower than usunl 

 and the quarry men are not disposed to 

 cut prices. 



The extension of credit to farmers 

 for purchasing limestone was considered 

 at the recent meeting. It was general- 

 ly agreed that this matter should be 

 left largely to the local banker with 

 the recommendation that he go as far 

 and safely as he possible can in lending 

 money to buy limestone. 



Established crop rotation systems 

 with the use of limestone, rock phos- 

 phate, and legumes should be continued 

 even if it means extraordinary effort 

 and sacrifice, states J. R. Bent, director 

 of the I. A. A. limestone-phosphate de- 

 partment. With the stimulation of 

 agricultural production throughout the 

 world, the necessity for higher yields 

 per acre with consequent lower cost 

 production becomes more apparent each 

 day. Recent advice from the Federal 

 Farm Board is that wheat acreage be 

 cut so as to supply only domestic needs 

 since other countries are able to pro- 

 duce wheat cheaper than most wheat 

 growers in the United States. 



"L A. A. Transpoprtation Dept. 



"Just wanted to tell you that 

 the yards at Paloma have been put 

 in excellent condition. When the 

 foreman came to start the job he 

 found our local shipper, Mr. Mc- 

 Neal, and asked him just what he 

 wanted, and he fixed them up as 

 our man told him. 



"This is the kind of service the 

 L A. A. is noted for, and we cer- 

 tainly appreciate it." 



C. C. MAST, Manager, 

 Adams County, Illinois, 

 Shippers' Assn. 'U . 



