MOTORIST BLAMES WALKERS.

The New York Times
November 28, 1922

M. O. Eldridge Says They Cause Majority of Accidents.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27.—Blame for the greatest number of street and road accidents in which automobiles and pedestrians figure is placed upon the "jay-walker" by M. O. Eldridge, Executive Chairman of the American Automobile Association. The public is entirely too ready to blame the driver, Mr. Eldridge declares; the first cry that goes up, as a rule, when such an accident occurs, is that the driver was at fault, when, as a matter of fact, in a large majority of cases the person injured was to blame.

Explaining a chart summary of traffic accidents in New York City, in which the fault or incapacity of the proper party is shown, Mr. Eldridge declared that while almost 50 per cent. of the causes of accidents are unknown, the blame in the case where the fault was determined was overwhelmingly placed on the injured one.

"Over a certain period of time in which 7,327 accidents, involving private automobiles, occurred, the Police Department of New York City found by thorough investigation that in 450 cases the driver of the car was to blame," he continued. "In 3,168 cases the person injured was to blame, and in 3,683 cases the cause of the accident was unknown. With the heavy preponderance of blame placed on the person injured in the known causes of accidents, it is but fair to presume that the injured person was to blame in more than 50 per cent. of the remaining 3,683 cases.

"These figures emphasize the contention that no traffic legislation is complete until provides a penalty for jay-walking. If a motorist is to be fined for disobedience of a traffic signal then the pedestrian should be fined for jay-waking across the street, putting himself as well as every motorist in the immediate vicinity in danger."