Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-08
DRIVERS SPEED
ON GOOD ROADS
ACCIDENTS ATTRIBUTED TO
RECKLESS DRIVING
CHAUFFEURs TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF sPEEDWAYs
Policemen Are Not Anxious to Arrest
Drivers Who Comply with
Speed ReguIa-
tons

Ill bIb eyes VI Tic dNCi dBp PCNpoNiA
the automobile is like a runaway loco
motive, off the track and tearing
around through the drives and boule-
wards of the city. This conception is
not far from wrong when an automobile
is driven by those who cannot resist
the temptation to speed over good
roads, those who are careless and those
who are reckless.
Apparently there is little danger In
running an automobile at the rate OF
25 miles an hour on a drive in which
there is no one to be seen, but there
are few places In a city where some
one may not unexpectedly come into the
d, Iveway either on foot or in some
other vehicle, which makes accidents
imminent, and frequently results, In
machine going at high rate of Sped
in endeaVorlng to avoid a colllslon,
being driven up over the curb, ana
colliding with a lamp post, tree or
wall, car being overturned and oc-
cupants injured.
From the seemingly safe condition
of the drives, inviting speeding. have
resulted some of the most serious and
fatal accidents. Therefore high speed
ing is dangerous except in places set
apart especially for that purpose.
Drivers Are Careless
The careless driver is continually get
ting into serious trouble and that his
accidents are so few is due to the
watchfulness and care of others Such
drivers frequently find themselves In
a critical position with their machine,
and in endeavoring to avoid one dif-
ficulty run into another.
These people are constantly frighten-
ing the public and cause an exagger-
ated fear of the automobile on the part
of all pedestrians. The careless driver
is as dangerous as the vicious one,
though perhaps not as culpable.
The reckless driver is a continual
menace to everyone useing a crossing
and a driveway. He seems positively to
disregard the safety of others. He
takes pleasure in seeing how near he
can come to injuring people without
doing So
such a driver is constantly laugh
ing at the fright of others who have
narrowly escaped being run down by
him, and such conduct of course In
creases the prejudice against auto
mobiles.
Such persons usually are not owners
of machines, and it is to be presumed
that when with their employers their
conduct Is proper, else one fnfers their
employers would not continue them in
their service. and it is of the utmost
importance that an employer should
satisfy himself that his driver Is as
careful, or even more so. when alone
with machine, than when with the
owner.
Most drivers, chauffeurs or owners
al apt to disregard cne ordinance re-
lative to the speed on turning corners
or crossing intersecting streets
Disregard Ordinances
Chauffeurs who are not of proper
age, or who are not physically or men
tally sound, also greatly add to the
dangers attendant upon motoring. As
a class, owners of automobiles are
careful and considerate in their driv-
ing.
There are, however, some owners
who are speeders, who are careless and
only be reached through the officers to
whom is intrusted the safety of the
public.
Employers are very apt to add to the
dangers of automoblling by their sup
port of their chauffeur in violations of
the law.
If a chauffeur is arrested for speed
ing, his employer. instead of leaving
him to settle his own difficulties, will
do what he can to defend him, and
will usually. without investigation,
give credence to the chauffeur's side
of the matter.
Officers certainly have no reason for
arresting parties who are not violating
the law, and as a fact do not do so.
1t will greatly lessen the danger of
automobiling If employers will not up
hold their chauffeur in the violating of
the speeding law.
The commissioners arn NOT
able in their demand that the public
safety be conserved, nor do they give
unreasonable instructions to their Of
ficers regarding the making of arrests.
They feel that they should have their
active cooperation, assistance and sup
port of all right-minded, intelligent and
lawabiding owners of automobiles.