The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-04
LOCAL MOTORISTS At
HEARING HELDTO-DAY
Interested in the Hopkins Bill
Before Legislative Com
mittee at Albany.
DISLIKE BEING "MUGGED"
Women AutOists Don't Approve
Of Wearing Metal Badges
While Driving.

Local motoring interests are consider
ably concerned over the public hearing
which will be held to-day before the lcgis-
lative committee at Albany The hear.
ing Is to be on the bill recently intro
duced by Assemblyman Hopkins. which
calls for the examination and registration
of all drivers OF automobiles. whether by
owners or hired chauffeurs Representa-
tives of trade associations and automobile
clubs throughout the State will attend
The feature OF the bill which In caus-
ing the most comment is that the measure
is practically copied from the section OF
the present law governing chauffeurs, and
should 1t become law will mean that
automobile owners must wear a license
badge when driving their cars, display
ing IL conspicuously. IL has been re-
marked that many women who drive their
own cars would not care particularly
about wearing II metal badge either In
their corsage beside their violets or 10
the revers Of a tailor made Goat
As mentioned in The Sun last Monday.
the fee for the owners driving license
In addition TO the car license Is to be s..
Another feature OF the Hopkins bill which
will not meet with general approval
among motorists ~ Iit hNfNCIr1 tHu2-
ging' TO be established 1t In proposed
to have all owners photographed and the
photo fled in the Secretary OF Statee
registration bureau, rs ~ the case with
professional operators.
Members OF the trade and others believe
that the clause in the measure providing
that every person driving an automobile
shall pass an examination as TO htne0o
In more or less farcicoi II Is maintained
by expert drivers that the preventing OF
accidents Ia due largely to the quickncss
| OF action. clear headcdness and good judg-
ment of the operator In crisis. ABILITY
/ to steer out OF danger instantly. to use
brakes or avoid their use as the condi-
tions demands Judgment OF distance and
speed, sc. Is what makee the good driver.
| The faculty rs something which cannot
be determined by the ordinary form OF
( written or operating examination. An
! examiner cannot ascertain whether or not
motorist is AN inveterate speed maniac,
for during the examination the speed ian
will driv. slowly.
In addition 10 the English type Of body.
which Il has shown for the past year, the
Brady Murray Corporation. metropolitan
distributor for the Chandler Sin" now ID
showing the chassis fitted with the Aneri-
can type touring and runabout bodies
The customer now has the option OF
either type OF touring body
In commenting on the ability of the
modern automobile TO travel through snow
In comparison with horse drawn vchiciel
the Brady Murray folks Civ" AZ an argu
ment that to-day mn nu'onohi" can ~
anywhere that n horse drawn vehicle can
md then some. hy the statement that
on sunday last n Chaudlcr CIR made O
trio over the roads from New YORK u
Hartford The car Was Il new model 10
intended for exhibition AZ the Hartford
automobile show. and an Idea Of III" r"tt
conditions can bc got from the fact ina
II took the car fourteen hours to mal,'
the trip from Nerid"u to Hartford, which
ls only nineteen miles.
Mr. kngslaud. who droN" the car OF
The trip said that IN hIs twelve year
Of driving experience h" never saw con
ditons az bad a. were encountered abou
ten miles south Of Hartford where h,
ran over HAT country tor about ten mile
through four feet OF snow.
There II nothing more serious 10 tn
operator of au automobile than the ska
ding problem. a hard vain washes IN
slime or thu pavement ana ia" aspha'
Is not 50 had, tuI when a lEht snow
comes up Il makes tAe streets very slip
perry and many accidents occur
The repurts Of commissioners ~ high
WAYS and other officers having duties o
similar nature throughout the COUNT
show the usual increase ~ th' huinDt
OF automobile accidents. with rapid "a
, crease in the number Of automobiles thi
result WAS to a certain extent inevitable
but the number ~ accidents seems I
: have increased out of proportion 10 tn
number Of automobiles. and IN. causes q
accidents are now being more CAREFUL
Investigated than they have been In N
past.
The Commissioner Of Highways OF or
county who IL himself an enthusiast
motorist has gone into tho matter wit
great thorouphness. and after CAREFUL
. analysing the reports of au'ornohll" ace
dents In his own aud ucighhoring cour
ties he makes some Inter, sting recon
. mcudations.
~ usual the Hrst recommendation
for more stringent enforcement OF IN
Jaws to check excessive speed and racin
on the public highways.
2 His next recommendation is that Oh
+. wheels al ali motor cars p" eduipps
with tire chains Ia rainy weather 90"
= any timo when the roads and street
are in a wet, slippery condition. TT
= COMMISSIONS finds that 90 per cent
/ the auto accidents reported 10 him wei
o caused IS cars not equipped with I'll
y chains skidding into collision with 9TH
70 vehicles or stationary objects. like toll
J.: phone and trolley poles trees &c, TT
70 Commissioner believes. moreover. that
10 considerable number OF the acctden
a cIassyd uui'T Speeding could have bee
5, avertod had the drivers Of these autom
hlles had the adequate u,tk" control on
, tho cars which can only hr obtained
wet weather by the use Of tire chall
prouerly il'tei tp tn wheels