On the Baltimore and Ohio, Southwest, 1914:
| Per Cent | |
|---|---|
| Stopped and looked both directions | 5 |
| Kept moving and looked in both directions | 13 |
| Kept moving and looked in one direction | 18 |
| Kept moving and looked straight ahead | 69 |
In California, 1913:
| Per Cent | |
|---|---|
| Stopped and looked in both directions | 0.2 |
| Kept moving and looked in both directions | 35 |
| Kept moving and looked in one direction | 7 |
| Kept moving and looked straight ahead | 58 |
The California Railway Commission in 1917 tested 17,000 motor vehicle drivers:
| 27.8 | per cent looked both ways |
| 2.7 | per cent looked only one way |
| 65.5 | per cent looked neither way before crossing. |
A Southern Pacific Railway folder gives these figures for automobile accidents during the period from January 1 to August 1, 1917, taken from the figures of eighteen railroads:
| Total number of accidents | 769 |
| Trains striking autos | 426 |
| Autos striking trains | 112 |
| Autos running through crossing gates | 143 |
| Accidents at protected crossings | 766 |
| Accidents at unprotected crossings | 3 |
| Accidents at night | 168 |
| Accidents during daylight | 540 |
| Persons injured | 515 |
| Persons killed | 99 |
The fact that practically all these accidents occurred at protected crossings would seem to indicate that most people trust the railway to look out for them, and do not assume any individual responsibility. It is to be noted, also, that those who did not look either way are in the majority in every count. Also the number of automobiles that run into trains is about one-fourth as many as those that try but fail to get by in front of the train.
Enough has been said to prove this to be an important item in the vital and financial economies of the nation. The question then is, what is the remedy? No specific can be given but relief, partial, may be secured.