The Washington times., 1913-07-22
WANTS TRAFF|CLAW
FOR PEDESTRIANS
Motor Car Manufacturer Wants
Foot Passengers Held Re-
sponsibIe For Accidents.
BY HARRY WARD.

I'VE will never be able to reduce the
number Of street accidents-from auto
mobiles, trolley cars and other We
hicles-until we make and enforce prop
er traffic regulations in cities" says
Walter E. Flanders, president and gen.
eral manager of the Maxwell Motor
Company. Detroit.
'Of course We have traffic regula-
tions, most of which tend to impede
traffic and to multiply the congestion at
busy points. The idea in the minds of
that any regulation that impedes prog
ress and aggravates the automobile
driver, must be a good one.
Traffic regulations as applied to We
hicles, and there are. plenty of them,
such as they are, will not bring about
the solution of the problem. AutOmo-
biles are increasing and will continue to
increase. Traffic will increase, and
street crossings become more and more
dangerous. The average business man
covers three times the ground in a
day that he used to in premotoring days.
So there is three times the traffic in
our streets, despite the fact that the
Tapid-mOving motor vehicles would nat
urally have decreased the congestion
were there only one automobile to re-
place each horse-drawn vehicle of for
mer days.
The remedy is in proper traffic regu-
!atiOns for pedestrians-rigidly enforced.
That they have such regulations and do
enforce them riG!dly is the reason why
there is a smaller percentage Of acci-
dents in European cities.
"Of course we Americans think II
very funny that in Paris and Berlin, for
example, the pedestrian who gets run
over or knocked down by vehicle Is
arrested, instead of the driver of the
vehicle. 1t isn't so ridiculous after all.
In the first place, the driver is arrested
as often as the pedeStrian-if the driver
has been at fault But mostly IT Is
the pedestrians fault. He has been
violating a well-defined traffic ordinance
in the enforcement of which he must
play his part and contribute his share
of intelligence.
Originally, the traffic ordinances of
Europe were based on the assumption
that the man on foot who impeded
traffic was an anarchist. All privilege
was then vested in the favored few
the nobiIity-and these. of course. rode
while all the rest Of the world walked.
To get in the way Of the carriage Of
noble was a heinous offense. That
such regulations have been retained
while the original conditions on which
they are founded no longer endure, was
not due 10 neglect but to the applica-
tion of common sense.
Should Be Responsible.
I'm this country we say the pedes-
trian has the right of way And in
principle that theory is right. Some
eminent thinkers protest that a man has
the right to commit suicide if he wants
to, but our laws make the attempt a
The same rule applies
or should appIy-to traffic regulations.
We should protect the careless thought
less pedestrian against himself-by max
ing il misGcmeanOr to violate the
traffic regulation just as it now is for
the driver OF truck or an automobile
to do so.
Look at them crossing the street at
all points in the block and at all angles!
The traffic officer stops street cars and
automobiles TO let them crOss-and when
he signals the vehicles to proceed you
will see men, women and children rush
ing across in front Of motoring vehicles
The pedestrian insists on his right TO
commit suicide and dares the mOtorist
to thwart him!
'.NVhy, IL the much-maligned motorist
didn't exhibit the utmost care to COM
nensate for the suicidal CareIessness of
pedestrians, there would be one hundred
accidents where there is now one"