Connecticut western news., 1909-01-28
TO REGULATE AUTOS
New Haven Auto Club Inaugurates a
 Campaign.

SaWpalRns
 In a circular letter to the newspapers of the state, the New Haven automobile Club says:
 We desire to enlist your aid in cam paign to make Connecticut the model State of the Union in the protection 1t affords the users of its public highways, whether they go afoot. drive horse, or run 6 motor car.
 We believe we have in Connecticut the best automobile law that has yet been devised, one that protects every person in the State from reckless driv- ing, if the law IS enforced.
 We say eff the law IS enforced, !" and we say it advisedlY. We have had ex- perience. We have seen the abuse that ensued when the law was neglected by the authorities, and the immediate ben efits obtained when the law was en- forced efficiently and lntelligently.
 One of the chief objects of our club, at its inception, was the elimination of reckless driving in our vicinity. "Un- avoidabls accidents" had become alto gether too frequent and we were con vinced that most of them could and should be avoided. Investigation showed us that reckless driving was confined to comparatively few men, when the total number of machines owned in this vicinity were considered, but that these men were chronic offenders. We brought these men to the attention of ths police, but nothing was done. No arrests were made unless the oar was going more than twenty-five miles an hour. several serious accidents occurred, two of them occasioued by men of whom VIC had complained, and there began to arise a public demand for thew automobile legislation"
 Further investigation developed tn, fact that, not only did many automobil, drivers misinterpret the law, but many of the officials of the city of New Haven maintained that an automobile driver could not be arrested unless he was going "twentv-five miles an hour or faster" and that "twentv-five miles is the only speed limit in the State" Such m interpretation of the law was so at variance with its true meaning and intent that we concluded q cam paign of education was necessary. r. By arrangement with the Chief of Police, the chairman of our legal com mittee addressed the members of the force at headquarters, explaining tho law Tn detail and their duties under it. The address was published in full by our local papers. tho following day. The result was twofold. Some of the reckless drivers, reading and understand ing the law for the first time, cut down their speed. Those who did not were arrested. The police, realizing their duties and understanding the law, pro- ceeded to arrest every man who drove his car in such manner as to endangsr the property, or the life or limb of any person"
 The following week there were some times as many as five automobile arrests" day, and then they fell off abruptly. They ceased because unnec- essarv. Reckless driving had become unpopular. An occasional arrest is neo- essary now. but it is very seldom that any driver of our vicinity tries to letter out" Tn New Haven. He knows arrest is sure to follow if he Is reckless, even if his speed is only four miles an hour.
 We believe. from our experience, that the intelligent enforcement of the pres ent law. for the period of one week, will end reckless driving in any oity, town or borough in the State, and if reckless driving is extent it is solely because the police authorities are not doing their duty.
 We, owning cars, are just as anxious for the protection of the general public as anyone, and, perhaps give it much more thought than the average citizen, since we, trough we may be law abid- ing citizens ourselves, are forced to shoulder part of the responsibility of the criminal driver who recklessly kills a man