The first traffic accidents involving cars in Kharkiv in the early twentieth century (based on materials from the local press)

Abstract

Research aim is to establish the history of the first road accidents involving cars in Kharkiv in the early twentieth century. Research methodology. The article discusses the road accidents involving cars as one of the aspects of the emergence and development of new vehicles and ways of communication "traffic" in Kharkov in the early twentieth century from the point of view of the concept of modernization of urban space. Scientific novelty. For the first time in the historiography the history ofthe road accidents involving cars in Kharkov in the early twentieth century was the subject of special research. The publications from the newspapers «Yuzhnyj Kraj» («South Land») and «Utro» («Morning») newspapers revealed a number of testimonies of the first car accidents involving cars in Kharkiv in the early 20th century. The typical causes, circumstances, course and consequences of such incidents are established. Conclusions. It was found that the first car accidents were caused primarily by the unusualness of the new vehicle for traditional road users in time pedestrians, carriages and, especially, horses, which frightened the unusual view and high speed of automatic crews, the roar of their previous engines, known as time of movement of smoke and smoke, loud exhausts, internal combustion engines and various horns and even «sirens». Factors such as the poor quality of driver training and / or the irresponsibility of individual drivers when driving on city streets also played an important role in some cases. The most known example of dangerous behavior on the road was the case of a nobleman O. L. Samoilov (owner and driver of the infamous newspaper «Red Car»), who regularly consciously ensures the safety of road users. This has led to frequent road accidents involving schoolchildren of varying severity from other road users  people, animals (horses, dogs) and vehicles. At the same place on carriages and features of pedestrians who are accustomed to traffic on city streets. For a long time, they did not report the changes caused by the appearance of dozens of cars on the streets of Kharkiv and neglected their own safety, behaving carelessly.