All sorts of things pass across the traffic desk. The best lately is a 192-page book titled "Little Rock's Traffic Code and Safety Manual."
On the cover is a smartly uniformed Little Rock policeman. The book -- chock-full of driving advice, photos of traffic accidents and advertisements -- appears to have been published in or about 1955.
We have cleverly deduced this by looking at page 63, which includes a traffic accident summary of "1952-1953-1954 and 1st 6 months of 1955."
What's remarkable is how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Tips for safe driving include:
Don't drive a car that's mechanically unsafe.
Don't proceed on an amber light.
Don't exceed posted speed limits.
Don't pass a school bus while it is loading or unloading passengers.
Obey all stop signs. Come to a complete halt and then proceed with caution.
Whenever in doubt about right of way, yield.
Yield right of way to pedestrians at all times.
Don't drink and drive.
Be particularly careful when approaching children at play.
All of this wisdom can be found, in one form or another, in either the modern legal code or, in a fashion more understandable, in the Arkansas Driver License Study Guide published by the state police.
The photos of wrecks are powerful. Cars are mangled, smashed and tumped over. It seems unlikely anyone survived the worst. Neither is there a seat belt, shoulder belt or deployed air bag to be seen. Lucky us. We have all those safety features, plus anti-lock brakes, traction control, accident-avoidance systems and head restraints.
The good old days of driving? Nope. More like people driving cast-iron behemoths that double as four-wheel deathtraps.
Pedestrians are advised to obey traffic signals. "Jay-walking doesn't save time. You usually get stranded in mid-street trying to buck traffic."
Bike riders had to do their part, too, under city ordinance. "Any person riding upon any bicycle, motorcycle, coaster, sled, roller skates, or any toy vehicle shall not attach the same or himself to any moving vehicle upon any roadway."
Notable citizens of the day had a chance to speak for traffic safety: Frank Holt, the prosecuting attorney; Woodrow Wilson Mann, the mayor of Little Rock; W. F. Barbee, who presented the Chamber of Commerce safety committee report; and Mrs. Henry V. Rath, president of the Little Rock Council Parent-Teacher Association.
All is supported by a multitude of advertisements from businesses and organizations that survive -- Bale Chevrolet, Kittle's Garage, Crow-Burlingame, the Arkansas Poultry Federation. And those which do not -- the Sterling department and variety store, Hank's Dog House on Roosevelt Road, and the great hotels of the day, including the Marion, the Albert Pike, the Lafayette and the Grady Manning.
Readers of a certain vintage may now reminisce.
Vanity plate on a black Corvette: ISPY007
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 06/13/2015