Life — September 22, 1927 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is **not satire or cartoon commentary** — it's an earnest **public safety advertisement** published by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The illustration shows a female safety instructor teaching a diverse group of children about street crossing safety, with traffic signals visible. The article advocates for organized "Safety Campaigns" to reduce accidental deaths, which claim one life every 13 seconds in America. It notes that cities with active safety education programs (like Albany) have reduced accident deaths by over half. The key message: accidents aren't inevitable; systematic public education by mayors, police, and civic organizations can prevent tragedies. This reflects early-20th-century Progressive Era thinking about using organized campaigns and public education to solve social problems.