Evening Star Newspaper, December 3, 1935, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1935. Road Builders, Backing Safety, ¢ Will Talk Problem at Session Star Campaign Is Considered Type Favored for Nation-Wide Education Drive Among Motorists. Traffic Deaths to December 3—104; Same Period, 1934—118 Declaring that the traffic safety campaign of The Evening Star Safety Council has had a profound effect on the driving psychology of local motorists and materials since the last road show was held, in 1933, and the highway world is eager to see those new develop~ ments on display.” Officials of the Road Builders, 1t was reported at the national head- quarters here, are using The Star safety drive as a model in planning the educational phase of their own campaign. “We consider The Star's drive as & high-point in the effort to bring to the individual attention of the motor- ist and pedestrian his part in bringing safety to our street4 and 1ighways,” toey sald. TRAFFIC REPORTS BY DRIVERS URGED Designating All Motorists Observers Proposed to Safety Council. Designation of every motorist in the District of Columbia as a traffic observer, with the right to report any flagrant and dangerous violations of , . . K Teachers’ Group Signs Safe Driving Pledge N THE interest of accident prevention and safer conditions on the streets and highways and in mmaumflmmwmmmamlvmm imh: 1. Never operate at reckless speed, 2. Drive on right of highway. 3. Stop at all 8-T-O-P signas. 4. Refrain from jun.ging traffic lights. 6. Make turns from the proper lanes. 6. Signal before turning or stopping. 1. Give right of way in doubtful cases. Ducked Hunter Complains. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (#)—Circuit Judge Tom Harsh’s duck-hunting traffic rules, is recommended to The Evening Star Safety Council by M. T. Charlton, one of the many Washing- tonians who have submitted written suggestions to the council in connec- tion with its campeign. Mr. Charlton recommends that every licensed driver be provided with & form of complint card on which yiolations could be reported to the authorities and made a matter of tecord against the offender. “The card,” he said, “would be in Bome predetermined form requiring only notation of the offender’s license plate number, the traffic infraction or complaint, space for signature, and such other particulars as would be thought necessary for making the in- itial report and would thereafter re- Guire only the affixing of a postage stamp and mailing to bring the inci- dent to the attention of thé author- fties. Complaint Would Be Recorded. “Once the infractions were made known to the authorities, such steps as they consider proper could follow, but in any event the complaint would be & matter of record. If this system were in force and given the proper publicity, it would seem to follow that the public knowledge that reckless, nasty, and dangerous driving actions could and probably would be reported by fellow drivers and would stand thenceforth on the offender’s record, would act as & powerful deterrent on those who now are heedless of the sometimes momentary yet real danger in which they place the lives of others.” Mr. Charlton expressed the belief that the complaint system could be developed “to constitute an ever- Dresent restraint on careless and reck- less driving.” “One thing is sure,” he concluded, “some simple and economically prac- fical system must be evolved to en- force safe driving methods, so why ot give drivers themselves an effec- tive weapon which can be used with- out any great pother?” Excerpts from some of the other fetters received by The Star Coun- il follow: “Your campaign for safer streets has the unqualified indorsement of every right-thinking citizen but, as the number of deaths and accidents mounts, there are too many people who do not think right and are not co-operating with you. Time will prove there is only one way to get these people in line (or drive them off the road) and that is by “Mr. John Law” making an intensive drive and for our judges to inflict heavier fines and Jail sentences. “A larger police force is necessary | to handle this appalling situation. Just why cannot we have the required number of police? Had not there bet- ter be a skimping elsewhere and ap- propriate for a sufficient number of men to put a stop to these reckless murderers? This death rate and number of accidents amounts to a condition of war and if the authori- ties will realize that some drastic de- terrent must be applied, and will have the courage to enforce same, then and not untll then will our streets be any safer. These reckless, speed-mad drivers are fast becoming 88 bad as machine gun bandits. Disguised Officers Suggested. “Why not have the traffic men dis- [guised and placed where the lawless driver can be seen and apprehended. No man or woman proceeding within the allowed rate and conforming to signals will have anything happen to them but on the other hand the po- lice will be materially helped in their work and each one of us will bene- fit. T1l bet that the man or woman ‘who opposes this suggestion is a po- tential reckless or dangerous driver. Many helpful suggestions have been made since the opening of your drive, & majority of which are sound and would help if embodied iri the traf- fic regulations. “Efforts have been made to secure legislation requiring drivers to indem- nify their victims. What good is in- demnity to a dead man, or woman, or to the parents of & dead child? It is right and just but what we want is safer streets and less talk of indemnity. In other words pre- vent the accidents before they hap- pen by cracking down on each and every offender and before long these speed demons will realize their mania does not pay. The one word, speed, §s the cause of a great majerity of of Hair 'OU were born with the scalp structure necessary to grow hair. Your hair DID grow, until some disturbance causing dandruff, itching scalp, or falling hair made it impossible for your hair-growing structure to continue to function normally. Remove the cause of stunted hair growth and your hair will continue to grow. Thomas treat- ment does precisely this. It over- comes the conditions which cause dandruff, scalp itch, and falling hair. It revitalizes your scalp— makes it vigorously healthy, and permits hair to grow again on thin and bald spots. Come in today for & Free scalp examination and see for yourself what this reliable 16- year proved treatment is doing for thousands of others and what it ¢an do for YOU. pledge. Left to right: Georges County Teachers’ Association Prince Georges County Safety Commi Orem of Prince Georges County. Prince Georges County Teachers’ Association signs The Star safety Mrs. Catherine Reed, president of the Prince ; William T. Jobe, chairman of the ittee, and Supt. of Schools Nicholas —Star Staff Photo. PROVIENCE TS TRAFI DEATHS Divorces Enforcement and Uses Simple, Practical System of Regulation. Special Dispatch to The Star, PROVIDENCE, R. I, December 3 (N.AN.A) —In the midst of a Nation- wide outcry against the horror of needless traffic deaths, Providence seems to have found the answer—a | simple, practical system of regulating | the motorist—and it works! Not even the proudest citizen of this typically New England metro- polis would contend that the system is perfect. It could not be called that in the face of 19 lives lost last year. But that 19 is proportionately so much better than the record of any other city that the rest might stop here to look, listen and learn. For, in Providence, last year, the traffic death rate was 6.7 per 100,000 of population. The second city was Milwaukee, with 10 per 100,000. It is that much better than the excellent record of the second city. But when | the accidents and this is proven by statistics, all advocates of speed to | the contrary.” —OVERTON C. LUXFORD. “There is little doubt but that the most responsibility for the insane traffic conditions lies with the mu- nicipal authorities. They have been and still are, exceedingly lax in en- forcement of regulations. “As to jay-walking, there are a hun- dred jay-drivers to one jay-walker. The courts couldn’t contain the host of violators of traffic rules should the police do their sworn duty and all know it. I do not apologize for the | fools who cross on red lights and court death but I do think that those of us who make attempts to cross properly should have the protection called for by law. “Another traffic nuisance is double- | parking . . . making bottle necks, only passable on the car tracks. . . . The autoists can take care of the jay-walkers but the police have to| attend to the autoists. We have been years discussing the matter. With- out actions and plenty of them, we | wiil never get control of the situation.” | “Of necessity, the auto is here to | stay, so why try to fight it constantly by making plans that add to hazards, by the use of thousands of useless signs and supercilious antagonism. Contant opposition does not put the motorist in a frame of mind con- ducive to good driving. . .. A friend from his office window at a corner you compare Providence's record with that of Detroit or Boston or Chicago, the difference, considering the lives that might have been saved elsewhere, is shocking. Politics Divorced. The average of all cities between 200,000 and 500,000 was 19.2. This is Providence’s “class” and its average is almost exactly three times the 6.7 death rate in Providence. How was it done? First, by divorcing politics from en- forcement. Second, by being practical rather than punitive. Third, by regulating the motorist first, ¥nd the motor car second. Most effective single feature of the Providence enforcement system, ac- cording to G. Wise Westcott, a member of the Governor’s Committee on Street an dHighway Safety, is its effect on the state of mind of the driver. If there is one thing that a driver does not like to contemplate, it is the loss of his right to drive. Impose Heavy Penalties. “The secret,” Westcott explains, “is not in persecution of the motorist for minor violations. It les in making safe operators out of careless and thoughtless ones. If they violate seri- ously or repeatedly, sock them with a heavy fine (drunk driving, $125 and costs) or rescind their license to drive, or both.” “When you speed up or commit somg other violation in Rhode Island that is not dangerous on that occasion, but might be if repeated,” Westcott says, “the motor cycle man writes you up and gives you a little talk on safety, but frequently does not give you & ticket. “Instead, your violation is placed on file against your record in the Motor Vehicle Department. “If that was an occasional or unique occurrence, you will never hear from it. But if you repeat, and your record starts to pile up and you give the ap- pearance of being a reckless, careless or thoughtless driver, you get a letter to go to the Motor Vehicle Depart- ment for a hearing.” All this is not to say, of course, that all violators are allowed to go free with a warning. Certain minor of- fenses, such as illegal parking or failing to stop at a boulevard stop, automatically bring a $2 fine first offense, $3 second, $5 third and then to court. (Copyright. 1035. by the North American Newspaper Alliance. Inc.) counted nearly 20 traffic signs within eyeshot. How can a motorist ap- proach corners carefully and read all those signs? If it is not necessary to read them all, how can he tell which he should read without read- ing them all? Who is responsible for accidents caused by a motorist trying to read too many signs?” —W. P. RIESECK. World's Leading Hoir and Scalp Specialiste=Forty-five Offices Suite 1050-51 Washington Building (Corner N. Y. Avenue and 15th St., N. W.) HOURS—9 A.M. te 7 P. M. SATURDAY te 3:30 P.:. and represents the type of educational campaign which should be made the basis for national street and highway safety work, the American Road Builders’ Association has indorsed the local drive and will devote a full day’s session to the subject at its coming national convention. Officials of the association have expressed their determination to give all pomsible support to The Strp———--w—or Traffic Safety Campaign and similar drives being conducted by newspapers and other organizations throughout the country. The decision to devote a full day of the annual meeting to the general subject of highway safety and the elimination of driving hazards was reached because of the impression made on members of the association by the local efforts to reduce the toll of | street and highway deaths and ac-| cidents, it was pointed out. The con- vention is to be held at Cleveland January 20-24 and the safety session will be held on Wednesday, January 22, Faults Are Listed. “For the purpose of attacking the safety problem at its bedrock foundation,” it was explained by officials of the association, “the road bullders consider that highway and street accidents fall into the follow- ing groups of ‘faults’: “Fault of the road or street, “Fault of the vehicle. “Fault of the driver. “Actually,” they continued, “the last two—fault of the vehicle and fault of the driver—come under one classification, for the driver who operates a vehicle that has defects that are a menace to safety is doubly at fault. But, in studying the basic factors involved in accidents, the three classifications are taken into consideration—the road, the vehicle and the driver.” ‘The association pointed out that at the present time it is not undertaking a detailed consideration of the pe- destrian phase of the traffic accldent situation, although officials of the as- sociation fully realize the importance of the pedestrian accident factor and that this subject must be considered also in any permanent campaign. The Star Safety Council has been invited by the association to partici- pate in the safety session s0 as to permit the fullest possible inter- change of ideas and experience. Campaign on Road Hazards, While the road builders, it was pointed out, are concerned with every phase of the traffic safety movement, including the engineering, the edu- cational and the enforcement ele- ments, their most intensive effort will be directed toward elimination as far as possible of the highway traffic haz- ards resulting from improper road construction or lack of necessary con- struction. Look at Your Tires If wearing unevenly, your car is— Unsafe to Drive Inspection and Wheel Alignment 1% Reliable Motor Service 14th and W N.W. No. 8603 WHEN GOOD FELLOWS GET TOGETHER » » » » » » » TRY BALTIMORE AMERICAN ALE Safety engineers working in the na- tional street and highway safety fleld, who have co-operated with The Star Council in the local drive, have ex- pressed the bellef that this basic high- way engineering, coupled with proper traffic-control systems, constitutes the | primary phase of any permanent safety campaign. Educational cam- paigns come as the second major safety phase and enforcement as the third. “It is recognized” A. R. B. A. of- ficlals said, “that the task of build- ing an American highway system that incorporates all possible safety factors is a tremendous and long-time under- taking. Given sufficient funds, high- way engineers could make every new highway project absolutely safe from the standpoint of the road or street itself. But highway engineers are called upon to provide maximum safety with such funds as are avail- able, and it is this practical situation to which the American Road Build- ers’ Association is devoting its at- tention.” Traffic Hazards Listed. Roads and streets that are too nar- row, that have dangerous turns, blind intersections or inadequate guard ralls and warning signs at danger points, it was stated, are easily classed as traffic hazards due to the physical nature of these travel arteries. “These menaces are apparent even to the motoring layman,” it was ex- MAIL THIS COUPON 8. 9. 10. 11. 12 Heed pedestrians’ rights. Never pass on“curve or top of hill. Slow down at intersections and schools, Keep my vehicle in safe condition. Be courteous and considerate of others. DI et e e i i T SRR s SR R AR SRS ERPOPOE e oo oo cangeasmconnnsccscsmesanons The Safety Council Of The Ehening Star Washington, D. C. injected by modern high-speed ve- except to traffic engineers” Leaders of the Road Builders recog- nize that highway traffic safety is a matter of evolution. Many roads that were safe from the construction stand- point for the motor traffic of a decade | the modern high-speed traffic. “Some highways that were ‘un- veiled’ 10 and 20 years ago as models of design and construction, now are accidents and a clear need for more plained, “but there are other factors | hicles that are not generally knowni saturated with swift passenger cars| | and heavy-laden trucks, with frequent | Sign and send above coupon to The Evening Star Safety Council, Room 600, Star Building traffic lanes, properly banked curves and other safety features,” the asso- ciation reported. “How to provide maximum traffic safety with available funds is the question that will be discussed from every angle when highway officials, engineers, superintendents, contrac- tors, equipment and materials manu- | ago are virtual death traps today for | facturers, producers and distributors | assemble in Cleveland for the A. R. B. 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