WHEN YOU ARE A PEDESTRIAN

Year Published: 1948

Description:

This vintage traffic safety film "When You Are a Pedestrian" was produced by Progressive Pictures based in Oakland, California. The film is quite gruesome and unnecessarily graphic, and definitely falls into the "scare film" genre. It opens with images of a pedestrian hit by a Chevrolet Fleet Master as he steps into the street (:41). Two officers open the back door of the ambulance pulling an injured man from it on a stretcher (:49). The narrator mentions the injured man is himself. He is checked out in the hospital by nurse and doctor (:55). The blanket is draped over him and he is pronounced dead (1:08). Statistics over fatalities and injuries resulted from automobile accidents is heard (1:09). Images of automobile wrecks follow (1:14). Two deceased children (1:27) lie immobile from being run over by a car. A newspaper photograph of a driver thrown from his vehicle and killed is pictured (1:47). A stream of pedestrians cross at an intersection as cars attempt to cut in-between (2:07). A traffic cop raises his arms in signal (2:25). Pedestrians wait on the sidewalk (2:32). A man is hit as he steps from the curb too early (2:42). A man looks both ways prior to crossing a section without signal (2:56). An animation provides instruction on how to properly cross (3:02). Ground footage captures a man changing course midway through the section (3:34). He is nearly hit by a sleek black Chevrolet Stylemaster (3:38). Jay walking is demonstrated (4:03) as one of the more hazardous methods of crossing. A mother leads a child across the street incorrectly (4:17) instilling dangerous traffic crossing habits in her daughter. A soft top Oldsmobile (4:25) runs in front of the pair. They run to a kitchen ware shop (4:29). Youth are taught traffic safety (4:36) through the school system. A group of kids play baseball in the street (5:05). Statistics are heard of injury and death from this sort of practice (5:11). A mid 1940's Cadillac (5:11) runs through the game. A young boy watches a Hansen’s ice delivery truck (5:15). He sneaks onto the back of the truck as the driver slips into the front seat (5:21). A pedestrian slips into the blind spot of a car as they cross the street (5:39). Safe crossing is demonstrated in a diagram (5:51). An old GM metropolitan bus (6:06) stops at a bus stop. A woman steps from the bus and crosses immediately in front of it (6:12). She is nearly hit. A view from a vehicle (6:16) traces old cars and city shops along the sidewalk. A driver in a parked car swings his door open (6:20). The point of view car bounces on it's brakes (6:22). The narrator explains exiting on the curb side while parked is safest using a 1946 Mercury Sedan Coupe (6:28). A pedestrian crosses mid-block (6:35). A view follows from a moving car as the pedestrian exits mid-block (6:49). A man wanders down a rural highway as a Chevrolet Stylemaster drives by (6:59). Another walks incorrectly, with his back facing approaching traffic (7:16). A child runs in front of a car in a neighborhood (7:26). An animation shows the same incident (7:36) as the vehicle brakes in time. Another demonstration shows the girl hit as the driver is unable to brake in time (7:40). A woman and her dog cross the street (7:45). Headlights run down busy city streets (7:52) in the night. Dark footage shows a pedestrian in the street (8:24) barely visible in dark clothing. The same woman is pictured in light clothing on the street at night (8:39). Scenes from a traffic court (9:09) shows the wife of the injured man awarded monthly payments. The End (9:28).