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Made in 1937, HIGHWAY MANIA is an early driver safety film narrated by Lowell Thomas. It features stunning images of auto accidents, including some that are doubtless stunts from Hollywood films. At 1:43, there are images of the burning SS Morro Castle, a famous disaster that killed over a hundred;; yet Lowell Thomas says that today auto accidents claim four times that amount. At 2:00, a gigantic Florida hurricane is shown. The 1936 floods are seen at 2:20. “What can we do about the appalling loss of life?“ says Thomas. He interviews Governor Harold G. Hoffman of New Jersey about traffic safety at the 3:00 mark, along with Commissioner McGee. At 4:00, features of the New Jersey State Highway are seen that improve safety. The express highway shown is US Route 22, and at the time it was State Highway 29. The eastern 4 miles were all grade separated, as it was a connection to the Pulaski Skyway, which lead to the Holland Tunnel. At 8:30, reports are seen that analyze varying accidents caused by bad driving habits. These habits are then shown in dramatic footage on the highway, with cars weaving in and out of traffic, driving on the wrong side, and even stopping on the highway to read a sign, passing on the left, etc. Hand signals are shown at the 11:50 mark. The film ends with various crazy stunts with cars, planes, and even horses — and these stunts are compared to the crazy drivers on the roads today. Be safe -- don't be a maniac driver!! The express highway shown is US Route 22, and at the time it was state highway 29. The eastern 4 miles were all grade separated, as it was a connection to the Pulaski Skyway, which lead to the Holland Tunnel. The NJ Turnpike did not open until 1951, and it was a black top highway. All of the NJ State Highways of the 1930s were done in concrete. Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Visit our website We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit
