Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-07
THE TYRANNY OF SPEED.
No Way Yet Found to Curb the Rcck.
less Automobiles.

The motor car nuisance is evidently
quite as great in England as in this
country. and in some respects conditions
are worse there because the country IL
smaller. 4Nor nas more proersss been
made than In the United States steward
checking excessive speed. though the
p, problem is engrossing much attention,
and some steps have already been taken.
1t may be that England will be Ina ad-
vance of America In this respect, for. sas
railroad regulation shows. the English
Z are mo careful about rsking human
T life BL sst now the excitement leot
speed hs oset normal conditions, and.
no way ls-s been found to curb the reek<
less automobilist. If police traps ara
1eE the offending motorists combine to
~ eaeb other warning. The case as
& az more difficult because the sport, he
s S Expensive. has fallen largely into the
&&f4as of those who should be. on the old
& nE1isb theory, the lawmakers of the
s 4tion. being the people who have "a
M take IN the country Quis custodes
a< etodiet? as they are fond of saying in
fliament. Who but our old friend Pro-
@ 561io Pubico of the fourth estate? Here
M4fd there is already to be found village
Hampton like f.. II. Hodgkinson. whose
book, 1.-THE Tyranny of Speed is pub
writes Ike a sturdy whg squire. and he
processes himself a moderate motorist.
As for his remedies, they are drastic.
1t is nonsense. he says. to fix a legal
maximum OF 20 miles hour, and then
allow the use on them of vehicles geared
to SO. 60, even 100 miles an hour. 1t is not
in human nature to obey the law when a
1g4 mere touch will Yield an acceieration as
exciting as IL is Illegal Even those who
mean well are forced into competition by
Tie reckless speed of others: 1t is not
pleasant to be virtually standing still all
day in cloud of dust, running a bare
90 knots while others are roaring past at
double or triple the speed. So the high
ways of England are virtually being
turned into race courses with many dis
tressing accidents. much damage to Inc
highways and adjacent property. and
great discomfort and risk to the nom
motoring public, all of which conditions
MIR. Hodgknson demonstrates from the
records of recent years. 1t has become
so badr he says. that motorists expect
pedestrians TO get out of the way, in
stead of turning out themselves, though
foot passenger on his own side of the
road has as much right there as a. ve-
Fl hicle AS an example Of the absurdly
egoistc view which high-speed motoring
encourages MT. ltOuSkiHSoH ClleS the
complaint Of an English motoring jour
nal: why people will persist in walking
in the middle of the road at night with
out carrying lights has often been a
p, puzzle TO motorists"
To remedy this state of affairs the au-
thor with Draconian severity proposes
to make it an idictabie offence to sell
cars capable of breaking the speed law,
For this there is some precedent in the
y police regulation of motor omnibuses IN
London, one clause of which reads: All
cabs must be so geared that their high
est speed shall not be in excess OF the
maximum laid down in the local govern
ment board order" This proposal has
often been made. and is highly unpalata-
bic TO motorists. who declare moreover
that such. provision would not guard
against reckless speed in descending
hills To meet this latter point, Mr.
Hodgkinson proposes to add an auto
matte signal sort of burglar alarm, sc
to speak. which will go off as soon as
the legal rate is passed. .whereupon thu
driver would be compelled under heavy
penalties to proceed to the nearest poles
station to report and get the signal re-