Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-20
SAY MOTORISTS
ARE SPEED MAD
ACQUIRE HASTE GERM FROM
AUTO DRIVERS
MENACE TO PUBLIC SAFETY
Board Of Health Urges City Council to
Take Immediate and Drastic
Measures to Protect the
Community

These "speed maniacs' who are en-
dangering the lives of the people of
Los Angeles must be stopped, declare
members Of the board of health. as a
board and individually.
At Friday nights session of the board
resolutions were adopted asking the
city council to take action. The acct
dent on South Main street, in which a
little girl was manned for life and a
man thrown under a street car, aroused
the members Of the board. The feeling
that had been slowly rising was sud-
denly brought to head by the acci-
dent which came so near being fatal.
Physicians composing the board said
that not only were the motor cars and
motor cycles a decided menace to the
safety of the public, but the variety of
human-animal, which can best be de-
scribed as a speed maniac" run the
machines in such way that the racket
they make is injurius to the health of
the community. The general opinion
appears to be that the cyclists should
not only be required to keep within
safe speed limits but also to carry
muff1ers.
Street Speedways
"These automobiles are being driven
too fast; it is an outrage" declared
Councilman Ford yesterday. "Out in
my ward, on some of the thoroughfares,
the make is injurious to the health OF
the day and night at speed that means
death to any unfortunate person they
may strike.
"What is true in my ward, 1 sup
pose, is true all over the city and the
should have it. We have already passed
an ordinance which limits them as
much as we are allowed to limit them
under the state law, but it is not being
enforced. 1 am heartily in favor of
anything which will give protection to
the citizens of the city and curb these
speed maniacs' who are monopolizing
the Streets"
Reports from Chicago show an alarm
ing increase in fatalities from automo-
bile accidents, but even in that city the
figures are but slightly greater than in
Los Angeles. How long will citizens
stand for such laxity on the part of the
officials who are supposed to safeguard
the public?
Throughout the east various methods
are being employed by the police to
enforce the laws and arrest speed
crazed individuals who tear up and
down the public highways to the terror
and danger of the people and without
regard for the law.
Eastern Methods Effective
The latest scheme for catching these
speed maniacs comes from New York,
where policemen who are handy with
pistols are mounted and instructed to
stop all motorists violating the speed
laws. The "speed maniac" pays no at
tention to the officer of the law, but
when ordered to stop by the New York
auto squad the offender had better stop
If he does not the officers open fire on
the speeding machines, the tires being
the point of attack.
Many arrests have been made by
puncturing the tires and thus stopping
machines whose drivers did not obey
the officers command to halt. The
speed maniac" thus caught is taken
to the nearest police station, wherein.
in addition to breaking the speed law,
charge of resisting arrest is booked
against him, and according to the rec
ords those caught in this way do not
care to repeat the experience. Why not
try this scheme in Los Angeles?