Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-12-03

III view VI lne large NUMBER VI SeIlOuS
accidents that have occurred recently
by the careless driving of motor cars
through the city streets, The World
yesterday asked Capt. Samuel E. Price,
in command of the Bronx Detective Blu
reau to suggest measures that would
act as curb to auto speeders and
thereby tend to lessen the growing num-
Der of accidents.
Capt. Price is peculiarly well qualified
to speak on the subject, as his post
covers section of the city that is
looked upon by chauffeurs as the
''speeders' paradise" Price has had a
long experience with these rash drivers
and 10y riders and several times has
narrowly escaped being injured himself.
He believes that if the suggestions he
makes were Incorporated in ordinances
they would serve the double purpose of
restraint to wild driving and also
cause the almost inevitable capture of
lawbreakers who speed away after an
accident. Capt. Price said
1.-THE present method of numbering
automobiles contributes to far greater
extent than most persons realize to
fast driving in the city streets. as it
minimizes the chances of capture. The
average number plate hardly exceeds a
foot in length and is not more than
three or four inches wide. Exception
ally keen eyes can in daytime discern it
at no further than seventy or eighty
feet; the average man could not make
out the number further than fifty feet,
and then only under favorable condi-
tons. Usually the number plate is not
in conspicuous place; it is down near
the ground close to the exhaust pipe,
frequently, and there is somestmes
good reason for this, from the speeder' S
viewpoint
BIG PERMANENT NUMBERS.
TO remedy the trouble | would have
the number of every automobile paint
ed in figures from a foot to eighteen
inches in.height on the body of the car
at the back. and possibly in smaller
numerals on the screen in front The
rear number could be worked on an or
namental panel. 1t could be done ar
tistically so as not to disfgure the ma
chine. A number of this size could be
read several hundred feet away and
there would be very little chance of
making mistake
u know this proposition will meet
with aIstorm of objections from auto
owners, but the present situation in
regardstosfast driving has become Sc
serious that the adoption of remedial
measures to safeguard life and limb is
highly necessary.
"Thissway of numbering would have
restraining influence on speeders and
JOY riders. They would realize the
probability of ultimate capture, even
if they got away after striking some
body, had increased a hundred per cent.
And what also is of more than passing
importance-it would prevent the use
of fake numbers-a practice that is
common at present. We have found
chauffeurs using false or expired num-
bers which are kept exclusively for Joy
rides by reckless drivers.
when a car is sold the new owner
must get new number and license, OF
when the machine is wrecked or is worn
out new number is necessary. Al
many garages doing a secondhand bust
ness a man has no difficulty in getting
an old number which really is a false
number. Some of these places keep g
supply of fake numbers, for which there
is an increasing demand
THE TRAP DOOR, NUMBER.
And there is another trick INDUCED
in by speeders, that is the trap door
number. My men have learned by in
vestigation that many chauffeurs have
a string attached to the number plate
leading to the front seat If they see {