The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-16
AUToMoBILE.MADE LAW

The laws and regulations for yubli
protection with respect to astom,bile
must ultimately rest upon, a. all othc
laws do. the vigorous and iut enforce
ment of laws that are fairy dawn
not only for tho public protection, bu
for tho security and better equation
OF users Of automobile trafIi
itself Any one-sided code of law,
cannot meet the case. It would b,
as unwise and Impractical I'd have {
series of statutes and regulations hos
tile to the use Of automobile az il
would be to have such laws AID reQu
lations drawn as would unduly favor
the same. There has been mach dis
position in certain quarters to make
1t hard for the users of automobiles
and, on the other hand, many auto.
mobile drivers have been mot only
ready but reckless in the disregard
and defiance of these regulations. We
think that the public would as a
whole, be fairly content with regu
lations that would be approved by the
common-sense Of the mass of automo-
bile owners; for it is to the interest
of these owners, no less than that of
the public, to avoid accidents and to
conserve the public safety ad the
public peace
But whom an assemblage of ltomo.
bile people meet for the puul,se of
laying down the law in their own
interest and without hearing from,
or regard to, the public interest OF
welfare, that is not any more likely
TO be ravorably considered by tbe peu
eral public than would be the enact.
ment of hostile laws against the uss
OF automobiles. Accordingly, the re,
port which comes of the code Of repu-
lations said to have been adopted hv!
the executive board of the American
Automobile Association is not likely
to be so received by the public as
to be enacted into law by tho lepis-
latures of the various States, az tbe
Association is said to be prepa,rd to
ask. This draft of regulations was
presented at the meeting of tM As.
soclation in Buffalo in Septembe, and
is said to have met with the approval
OF those present There was M rep.
resentative from the pedestrians 10
make objections TO that part d the
code which undertakes to regulatetbeir
conduct, and since there IS noI"as-
soclation of pedestrians, as trulr said
by an Eastern contemporary, fthey
have to take things as they cdme ;,
One of the principal rules laid down
Tor them Is to cross streets only at
crossing walks. But a good mani elf.
les have already adopted this rule and
are enforcing it. Such rule would
not be very popular in Salt lake.
where VIC have long blocks, and where
a pedestrian on ono OF our downtown
blocks might have to walk nearIysix.
ty rods TO get across to the middle
Of the block on the other side of the
street, instead of the seven rods di.
rectly across This could be lard
snip IN many cases, especially where
time might be important and where
the pedestrian were not able to mike
a rush for that distance.
Furthermore, TO make regulation
Of that kind, for people as to roads ach
as those south of this city. wlpre
there are no road crossings for ,er-
haps a quarter or half mile, the
would be entirely impac.
.icable. The fundamental basis of gy
such proposition as that is entirdy
wrong, for the pedestrian has lust as
much right IN the street as the auto.
mobiles have, and there can be no 6e
NAL of the right of the pedestrians. r.
It Is quite trne that all concernd
should be alert, so rs to admit tie
.nlI rights OF each, and thus promoe
he public safety: but to have one sd
" road users lay down the law fn
mother set, and ask TO have their one
ided view enacted into law, is clearI-
Haqmlsslble. The pedestrian wouli
lave lust as much right 10 reoniri
hat the automobile should run on a n
leFated tramwaY, as tho automobIlI
sers have to determine what the pc
Iestrlan should do with regard to the
se OF the streets. The free use of
he streets by all is the great desid-
ratum, and this can be had ONLY by
1ercisIng the utmost care and forbear.
nee all. around. 7
The automobile code, as indicated
'ould rule out OF the streets all chill,
rem s wagons, tricycles, roller skates
ably carriages, and the like. and this
the sole interest of the automobiles
md yet, all OF these conveyances have
nst rs much right to use the streets
the automobiles have, and il js a
lear case OF intrusion for the Auto.
lebile Association TO undertake "a
lie, all of these eopveyances off the
reefs. Evidently so one-sided a pron.
'itiop as this which comes from tbe I
utomobile Association would never he
,eeptable to the public.
Brooklyn Times: "'Tho news from
rgeutine Is that a rich mans manic
In urOpress thpra ~