A.A. TRAFFIC CONTROL.
The highway traffic patrol system operated by the Auto- mobile Association in England is to be copied, as an experiment, by the traffic authorities of the State of Connecticut in a new effort to reduce the growing number of motor accidents. The experiment will be conducted under the direction of the State Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, who has personally Investigated the system in England. Road patrol houses fitted with telephones and emergency equipment have already been erected at highway intersections where accidents have been most frequent in the past. Uniformed volunteer traffic officers, specially trained for their duties, will be stationed in the vicinity of the houses to give information and assistance to motorists and to cheek reckless driving. The traffic officers will have the full co-operation of the State police. This is the first time the English system—frequently commended by Americans—has been given a practical trial in this country. If the system proves successful under American conditions it will probably be widely adopted. Traffic accidents here continue to increase at a more rapid rate than motor vehicle registration. They accounted for .33,060 deaths last year, 31,000 of which were due to auto- mobiles, and 1,200,000 injuries, Of which 1,000,000 are attributed to automobiles. The fatalities due directly to automobiles have increased by nearly 11 per cent. since 1928.
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