THE SEMI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE SECTION
9
Automobile Accidents and Insurance
By Charles B. Hayward
AWOUT.D-nH export accountant, on
applying for hix first job, was
asked if lie could compare "lie.''
Tie answered in tlie negative, and was in
formed that it was: "positive lie;com
parative - - damn lie; superlative sta
tistics." And that is probably the way,
regardless of their origin, that the aver
age man regards heavily packed columns
of liginef. Hut where they aie lacking,
striking at the truth of any large pies
Hon is a matter of sifting personal opin
ion and experience, as one of the leading
motoring journals is now doing on the
subject of the chief cause of automobile
accidents. Compile your ligures exhaus
tively enough, and what is the result
statistics. (!ien a post-graduate course
by the insurance companies, they are ele
vated to the dignity of "mortuary
tables." Doesn't sound pleasant in con
nection with motoring; but there's no
gettijig away from the leliability of sta
tistics in this form.
The Danger in Skidding
T?MMIXATIX(I that class of mishaps
Lj that tesult from malice aforethought
tho nocturnal joy ride, for instance, in
a misappropriated car, that so frequently
ends in a first page column about the dis
aster the morning after two of tho
leading insurance companies that write
automobile accident policies have deter
mined that the majority of accidents re
sult from loss of control of the machine;
in other words, skidding. Damage to the
car and injury to the passengers come
about so frequently from this cause, that
the automobile insurance men strongly
recommend the use of non-skid chains.
Despite the high rate of piemiuiu that it
has been found nccesssary to charge for
this form of ptotectiou, it is claimed that
automobile insurance is not on a paying
basis, because of the numerous accidents
and the high average amount of the dam
ago claims.
The companies, accordingly, recommend
tho use of chains. It is naturally lo their
inteiest to do so; but it is of eou greater
impoitance for the individual motorist to
piolit by the suggestion and to follow the
same policy of "enlightened sellNhncss"
by helping the cause of accident pieveu
tion. No motorist should be without in
surance; and certainly there is no motor
ist, whether he drives his own car or has
it driven for him, who would not prefer
to pay premiums year after year than to
qualify for a claim for reimbursement on
account of the damage to the machine
resulting from an accident, with possibly
a more serious cause for regret.
I
Non-skid Chains the Solution
V KVKItV man who drives or owns a
car would see to it that his personal
risks were reduced by the timely use of
chains, a very large percentage of the ac
cidents for which the insurance companies
now have to pay would be eliminated, and
the cost of insurance generally would bo
very much i educed. It is little less than
criminal to go without insurance; but it
is equally so not to provide your own
safety insurance. The settlement of your
claim will put the machine in good order
again after an accident; but money is
poor compensation for serious injury or
dentil, ami tho recolloctioli of a fatality
is more than apt to rob subsequent use
of the car of most of its pleasure, if
indeed it does not actually cause the
owner to lose his none entirely, unfitting
him to take the wheel again.
These are some of the things that need
consideration in advance. Hindsight will
point unerringly to what you failed to
provide after tho accident; but it
takes foresight to prevent accidents, and
whether you are in the city streets or out
on the country road, the danger of losing
control in wet weather on tho slippery
road surfaces is ever present. In town,
tho curbing, cross tratlic and pedes
trians make the chances of damage very
great. Hut on the country road, also,
you may bo suro that there will be
ditches and other serious menaces, in tin1
event of a spill. There is not much
choice, when all is said and done; and a
bad skid that results in temporarily rob
bing the driver of control over the ma
chine is an unnerving experience Hint few
care to pass through more than once.
Coming out with a "whole skin" under
such circumstances is altogether a matter
of good luck ; good mamigemeut can not
ligure in the losult.
The Individual Must Act
'Till-: cooperation of the individual inn
torist at large with the iiisuiaiuc mm
jinnies, by conscientiously fnlluvwiig thi
recommendations of the latter ala- t
cairy non skid chains and to um tin mi
whenever conditions indicate the iien.it
of their application to the wheels to in
sure safe driving, will go a long win
toward starting an etlVctive cauijuiigu of
accident jireventiou. Hut there is still
unother inllueneo of the greatest imjior
tance that should be brought to bear
that of the automobile manufacturer him
self. It is certainly to the interest of
every manufacturer that his customers
should enjoy in safety the use of their
machines. He is not in the repair busi
ness, and would be only too glad to be
relieved of the encumbrance of rejiair
fihojis and service dejiartments, which are
conducted simply as an accommodation.
If there were fewer accidents, there would
not be the jiressing need for the large es
tablishments of this class that exist today.
I'uithermore, the freedom from damage
would be beneficial in mote ways than
one, as an accident tends to give a car
a black eye in its owner's estimation, re
gardless of whether it was the machine
or himself that was actually at fault.
Many a motorist does not realize the
importance of non skid chains until after
he has had his first accident. The ranks
ate being filled so rapidly thai theio are
always a large number of inexperienced
drivers on the road, and when overtaken
by a storm ohaullours of this tyjie find
themselves without the necessary safe
guaid or a iroier sqipreciat ion of the
necessity of using chains to insuie wife
going on slippery mud and asih:ill.
The Duty of the Manufacturer
npill', automobile manufacturer could
lend a hand in the cause of accident
jirevention by making a full set of chains
a part of the regular equijmient of every
oar he turns out. Directions for their use
should Ih1 included in the instruction bonk
that accompanies the machine, thus em
phasizing the importance of tho subject.
When chains are needed, they're needed
badly, anil that hniens whenever the
road gets wet anil slippery. Under such
circumstances, they are of much greater
value to the motorist than tho sjieedom
eter or clock, the electric horn or any
one of the dozen or more things that the
maker now considers it iioocssnrv lo pni
vide as a jiart of the legular iquqniieiit
All of these accessories nre either i-riri
mental or useful, or both; but it is of far
greater imortnnce to the motorist that
ho should be jirovided with something
that will guarantee the safety of the ear
and its jiassengers, as well as jK'destnans,
than all of them jiut together. A full set
of chains jirovided for all four wheels
would make it certain that they would be
on the car when most needed, and would
also servo to imjiress ujion the ilnvtr Hie
necessity of using them. It is otilv b
such foresight that accidents can be
prevented.
A CHANGELING
Ily CHAKLOTTK BECK Kit
A HOVE a lonely grave, there grew
A slcndcrrosc-trec, white and fair,
And only birds and breezes knew
A little maiden slumbered there.
So short her joyful space of hours,
So few, so sweet her simple woes,
Earth felt her kinship with the flowers.
And changed her heart into a rose.
Does this picture tell the true storv of your d.ulv life or notr"
Arc you in the class with the thousands of citv men who are .-ulu.illv crimlitiL
out their nerves ami vitality at a mere clerk's sal.n y .' or arc you a silent mem
ber of that great army of men who think they should be satisfied with just
"getting along?"
No matter which class you belong to no matter what vour livimr nioblcms now
may be no matter how many times you've tried to Mart over there JS a way for you to
do it ami that 'way is one you can reasonably alFord!
You arc not the first man who thought he was light "iq against it." You ate
not standing alone when you tell vour friends that vou're in a instv int. Tlirn . lu
mbers like you but many of them are daily waking uj to their best-ol-all iipporttuiity
and it they can do it so can YOl' I
I low? Simply this way. Set aside each week or payday a certain little sum of money
and invest it in a genuinely-good Florida land proposition like our Wauchula, Floinla,
oiler. Slay with your )iescnt position but do it with a lighter heart and with a step that's
got ginger in it. Kccji thinking how soon the time will come when you'ie coming down
hen- to Wauchula, plan the things that you want to do hut net out of that riillll
WAUCHULA, FLORIDA
A Place Where Your PRESENT Effort Will Actually
Bring You in Ten Times as Many Dollars
V
Wnuehnlti I 'lor Win, In Clod a country. Von don't
hne to wit! jourwelf up In ttit Winter Unlit mow
tnmiM or dodtte the doctor Wauchula. Florida ii it
place tlmt wun meant to .! in. not to merely
h MT ml '1 hero' Ntintdiitie. Iota of It, then 1 heie'H
fti'-li it I r. lino government, lake lHitnt If u I aklcitjaiid
tencr there n bitf lUli, worth while name, wwiiii
mint: limit ititt mtil In at uf all tUvrr'n a bfj MSF' t
l Mi.itf ih , A ii J t hut moan content nietit ' Hero at
Wuuchulti in tin beautiful Fence- Hiver Valley urn
all t ht element min-NHitryto product tin finest ft mpo
liuit ond orange in prufupdou. 'Hit fnmou W mi-
( ii In combination noil tli right altitude, well
distributed nthi fall- 11 no drainage. No wonder
It i ii fruit h nre llouriidiiutf here! Is it wonder wo van
fiirniidi Ic I tern showing aMoulthlng income that
imo ueen rut lieu una are. ueiug earned here ;od.i).
We Give You a Whole Year to Decide
I That Fair7
You nro not tunlm! into mijthine hero ut Wnn
i hulti. Florida. You are not iihkcd to make n de
i ipion one way or unother until you'vr uihhI ami
ntulu' A 11 wo ack mi to do in to tuvrntifjatf thU
ntler notr. It is absolutely unlike nn other Flor
uit mini oner, in iiict we Know m no mini any
where t Ii ft ( Ih being bin Led tip In thin wh.
Kimkei h of fttiihlifthed reputation guarantee t he
tuitd Vou can make jour reerwition. You
can iriect our plot ut nn time within n jear.
lfDiiuro not nut it tied nlMoluteh heond
mi) iut-tlim, we'll give jou buck jour
inoiie) You yet every cent- mid with Hi cr
cent intcreKt for tho time wo have had It.
Ihu genuine Wuuchulti combination Mill
U equally 'well adapted to cltrui fruit
mid Vegetable Vou plnre your joiing
otangoaud grape fruit tree 'Ihen jouput
out buanv) rurutubuni.onloufl, watermelons
1
or RWeet iKitlitoe between tho iomm, IVctfeluhle
keep jou KOintr lliej f uruuli jnm liviue&peiiNeN
'1 hey pay for tour land And all tin time nr
Mraio fruit treen mid orange tree ared(velopin
SiHu they'll bo pioduciiiK tho huo tcultit.
You May Write to Danker Who Arc
BACKING This Offer
'1 ho treasurer of thin compain U pifldent of
tho riorlda Citiun 1 sehaiik'e the oilier ottteer
nro bun kern wIiomo reeoidt can tnvcttpati
'1 hey put their personal word lno kof evei j feat uie
of thiH otter, f 5 (HK) a ear iiu-ume and bettei -ifaltiuii
hero for jou at uih'liula, J lorkdii, men
butitVupto ou to make trood Vm'u not i..
make good on jour deki now, joucau't nit iiioiiimI
and eijHTt jour einjilojei to pav jou unlc jim.
l do jour work t horouuhlj (oiiM(juunt ly on i
non iimt eklnu out mi ixilinee
lluntlretl of M filern bie me proMicrinu. H
i an jou. lliey re mnkinu from fh.ooo to 7. (mmi
mid M LKW) niinii.ill v uml inure tnu inn m.
im well A It) m re elnt in biu ciiouuh A inuH
llrtit payment and then 1 (u) u month t aeie
allowH jou to pa an joii o "
Write Today for Bankers1 Guaran
tee and Convincing Facts
Irarn nil alHiiit teuipcruturi. rainfall, frott
poll. We'll Ue jou dollam and cent- ritntementN
from tho urowern iii to their earning the thlnM
they've actuall) done
And wo will cnd jou free itostairo paid, the
moht beautiful, mot inlerentlni; literature mi
Florida, full of Valuable fait Vvtt iovtal or
coupon. Urlto today
WAUCHULA DEVELOPMENT CO.
Box 302, Wnuchula, Florida
Wauchuln Development Co.
! Uox 302, WauchuU. Fla.
PleitDO end menrtmil fact reunrd
tnit tourcoiiibinatioi) tOrfidat)le and
citrua fruit I a ml Alio price, letter
2 from ftettlrm. ety.
Name .
Itiiml Itouto
Htreet No
Town
Htnte .
Did sou ewr uiihuer nu iUcrtletnent? Try It,