The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-26

Ten automobile casualties on the
streets Of Salt Lake, more OF less at
tributable to merry chauffeurs.' in
violation of the rules of the road, the
speed limit-not the law, for there is
neither adequate law or city ordinance
and in seeming disregard OF the safe
ty which is ordinarily thrown around
human life-ten casualties is the toll
of the present month of May, so far
as the month has progressed
In these ten casualties the lives or
more than twenty persons have been
placed in jeopardy; some have been
injured; some are in the hospital; some
have had miraculous escapes-and one
Is dead.
The one fatality Of the month which
is charged to careless and reckless
driving of an automobile occurred at
Fifth East and Seventh South streets
about 1880 o'clock Tuesday night,
when Mrs. F. Y. Hansen, rear sos East
Seventh South street. in alighting from
a street car, was run over and killed
by an automobile owned by Burt &
Carlquist and driven by Erastus John
SON. The tragedy occurred in the sight
of the dead wOman's daughter. Miss
Hortense Hansen
The month of April does not fall far
short in the number Of automobile
wrecks, jams, smashups, collisions and
whatnot. Six Of these varied so-called
accidents" there is g record OF.
No Adequate Law.
NO lHdl1tE HOM uLQC1 lnCSc d1lnOcl
daily automobile accidents" are de-
pIored, the fact remains that there IS
no law adequate to compel reasonably
careful management OF these machines
There is an excuse of state law.
There is no city ordinance. There Is
no record of q conviction for fast and
reckless running of automobiles on the
streets of Salt Lake. There have been
bond has been forfeited. The police
say they are willing TO stop the au-
tomobile speed mania, but that they
have no law or ordinance TO support
them.
1t is admitted that the large major
ity of those who drive machines are
careful, but there appears to be
growing sentiment that 1t is the duty
of the automobile owners of Salt Lake
to protect themselves by securing the
adoption of an ordinance regulating
the speed and manasement OF mad
chauffeurS. 1t is also agreed that there
is such a thing as criminal careless
ness, and it should not go unpublished
in Salt Lake
says that reckless speeding of auto
mobiles on the streets of the city must
stop But it does not stop, and ii is
only reasonable to suppose that It Will
not stop until there is law or a mu-
nicipal ordinance enacted and enforced
which will have the desired effect.
The city council has from time to
time promised to pass an ordinance
W4Al NC " OopC with
reckless drivers of automobiles. but
there is no record of its introduction.
Mayor Takes n Hand.
Mayor John S. Bransford. himself an
auto enthusiast, has declared that he
will take a hand in the situation and
see TO 1t that reckless driving of auto
mobiles in disregard of the well-es-
tabiished rules of the road and of life
and limb must stop Very justly, the
mayor looks at the situation from both
sides. He takes in the gawking and
Indifferent pedestrian into considera-
ton.
Pedestrians have no regard what
ever for the automobile. street cars or
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