On May 30, 1896, motorist Henry Wells hit bicyclist Evylyn Thomas on a New York City street. It was America’s first auto accident. Thomas’s injury: a broken leg; car that Wells was driving: a Duryea motor wagon; Well’s penalty: a night in jail;
The first automobile fatality: Henry H. Bliss (Sept. 13, 1899); how he died: a car hit him after he stepped off a New York streetcar.
Auto accidents: in 1937: 7 million; in 1970: 16 million; in 1994: 6.5 million; auto accident deaths in 1937: 39,643; in 1970: 54,633; in 1994: 40,676.
First speeding arrest: New York cabdriver Jacob German (May 20, 1899); his speed: 12 mph; state that enacted the first speed limit: Connecticut (May 21, 1901); the law: 15 mph on country highways, 12 mph within city limits.
Early safety feature: a “pedestrian catcher”
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