To help lessen car accidents in 1924, the Kiwanis Club started the Safe Drivers' Club

Rarely a day seems to go by that the news media does not report a traffic accident.

On the front page of The Daily Oklahoman on May 4, 1924, readers found a membership application for the Kiwanis Club's first Safe Drivers' Club. Included was a pledge encouraging drivers to practice safe driving.

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When you see another car coming down the road, do you give him half the road? Lots of drivers do not: they depend on the other fellow to do all of the getting out of the way. If both are road hogs, there is a crash. Consider the other fellow when driving. Maybe he is as good a chap as you are. Join the Safe Drivers' club. Five thousand have joined. Will you? Sign the pledge. Mail it to The Daily Oklahoman; then stop at the Kiwanis club booth, Main and Broadway and get a metal emblem of the club to fasten to your car.

I agree to drive carefully at all times, always keeping mind the rights of pedestrians and other drivers,

I will obey the laws of city and state,

I will protect the lives of children and observe school traffic signs,

I will stop at all white lines,

I will not use glaring headlights,

I will signal to the driver behind my intention of turning or stopping,

I will do all in my power to stop the frightful loss of life and the large number of automobile accidents.

By 1926, according to The Daily Oklahoman, the Safe Drivers' club had over 25,000 pledges.

Each item in the pledge is still valid for today's drivers.

A timely addition to the pledge would be: "Stay alert and avoid distractions!"

Note: White lines served as stop signs at intersections in 1924.

If you would like to contact Mary Phillips about The Archivist, email her at gapnmary@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Safe Drivers' Club pledge encouraged motorists to follow rules