This is part of an ongoing series where I review Golden Age Superman, weekly, issue by issue, starting from the very beginning.
Superman Declares War on Reckless drivers continues the Man of Tomorrow’s chaotic streak, as he once again takes matters into his own hands to solve societal problems where the power structures in place have failed. This time, it’s traffic violations. Automobiles were a relatively new phenomenon at the time, having been mass produced for less than 50 years by 1939. Superman is concerned by the damages caused by drunk drivers, hit-and-runs, and unsafe second-hand vehicles. He breaks into a radio station to announce that “henceforth, homicidal drivers answer to me”, arguing that “more people have been killed needlessly due by autos than died during the World War”. Considering that over 8 million soldiers and 13 million civilians died in World War I (Britannica) and the yearly rate of automobile fatalities in the US peaked at 37,819 in 1937 (Wikipedia), that seems like a bit of a stretch, though it is possible the numbers are comparable worldwide.
Still, regardless of the exact numbers, it was a rising concern as cars became more and more common and the rate of fatalities were trending upwards year over year. On January 24, 1935, President Roosevelt sent the following letter to each Governor in the US:
“My dear Governor:
I am gravely concerned with the increasing number of deaths and injuries occurring in automobile accidents. Preliminary figures indicate that the total of these losses during the year 1934, greatly exceeded that of any previous year. We should, as a people, be able to solve this problem which so vitally affects the lives and happiness of our citizens.
In order to assist in this, the Federal Government, through the Secretary of Commerce, has taken the leadership in developing remedial measures. Proposals for uniform State legislation have been worked out by the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety with the cooperation of responsible State officials and representatives of interested organizations from all parts of the country.
The remedies that need to be applied are thus available in form which appears to meet the unanimous approval of experienced judgment. The pressing problem is to secure universal application of these remedies which have proved effective where applied.
The responsibility for action rests with the States. There is need for legislation and for the organization of proper agencies of administration and enforcement. There is need also for leadership in education of the public in the safe use of the motor vehicle, which has become an indispensable agency of transportation. With the legislatures of most of the States meeting during 1935, concerted effort for appropriate action in the States is most important.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation and the urgent need for attention to the problem, I am confident that you will desire to participate in this effort.
Yours very truly,
Franklin D. Roosevelt”
-The American Presidency Project
Traffic laws were being overhauled during this period, and manufacturers worked to create safer vehicles, but nothing this big changes over night. While the amount of fatalities began to trend downwards in 1938 and 1939, there were still over 30 thousand people dying every year from traffic collisions (Wikipedia). For reference, the 1940 US census listed the countries populations at 132,164,569 (Census.gov), less than half the current population. Seatbelts were also not a given, and even the ones that did exist only keep the waist in place, doing nothing to protect your head (WPR). The 3-point seatbelt, which is the most common and secure option today, wasn't commercially available until 1959 (Online Safety Trainer). In general, driving was much more dangerous in 1939 than it is now, and it’s still not exactly risk-free today.
 |
| Niles Bolin, inventor of the 3-point seatbelt |
 |
| Wrecked car in Cambridge, 1921, photographed by Leslie Jones (Insider) |
Anyway, the story kicks off when Clark finds a friend of his killed in a traffic collision, after which he calls the mayor, who is unable to provide a solution. Superman goes to the radio station to declare war on reckless drivers, and then wrecks all the impounded cars of traffic violators. Then, he destroys a lot of used cars, deeming them unsafe for potential buyers. He runs into a drunk driver, he pretends to be a ghost to scare a hit-and-run, and then destroys the factory of a car manufacturer that “use[s] inferior metals and parts so as to make higher profits at the cost of human lives”. He then scares the mayor into stricter enforcement of traffic laws and foils an attempted bribery. The story ends with Clark getting a ticket for parking in the wrong spot, showing that the proper enforcement of these laws is indeed taking place.
It’s an effective tale with a lot of great gags. Superman repeatedly bursting through the radio stations’ various doors and windows never gets old, and neither does his glee in smashing faulty industrial equipment and tormenting greedy capitalists. He has such creative ways of fucking with people; I’d love to see Superman’s vindictive streak come back. People’s general confusion over Superman’s behaviour is a great running bit over the last few issues that’s continued here, as characters repeatedly stammer “who? what?” when Superman bursts onto the scene and then flies away before they even figure out what he was trying to do. Everything is dialed up to 11, and that’s what makes it so entertaining. With such a limited a page count you need to paint in broad strokes to tell a big story like this. Drive responsibly, kids, or else you can expect a visit from Superman!
Sources
Angelova, Kamelia. Stunning Pictures Of Car Wrecks From 1930s. Business Insider. June 1, 2012.
D. Roosevelt, Franklin. Letter to Governors Requesting State Cooperation to Reduce Automobile Accidents. American Presidency Project. January 24, 1935.
Graham Royde-Smith, John. World War I: Killed, Wounded, and Missing. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Janik, Erika. The Surprisingly Controversial History Of Seat Belts. WPR. September 25, 2017.
Motor vehicle fatality rate in U.S. by year. Wikipedia.
Nils Bohlin and the Three-Point Seatbelt. Online Safety Trainer. February 13, 2023.
No comments:
Post a Comment