The Washington times., 1914-07-25
MANY VIOLATIONS OF
F|FTEEN-FEET RULE
Some Drivers Persist in Going
Too Close to Standing Street
Cars, Despite Law.
BY HARRY WARD.

Many complaints are made of mo-
torists who persistently violate the
traffic regulation requiring operators
of automobiles to keep fifteen feet back
,pf a street car when the latter is load
ing or unloading passengers. This sec
ton is violated hundreds of times every
dav. hut. DESPITE the number of the
complaints. no serious attempt to en-
force the law seems to have been made
by the authorities.
Motorists persist in stopping their
machines abreast of street cars, and at
many busy street crossings passengers
on street cars, when alighting are COM
PEELED to walk around automobiles that
should be fifteen feet in the rear Of the
cars. The regulation is perfectly plain'
rs follows:
Fifteen Feet for Safety.
Section 80. A driver of a vehicle NOV
ing in the same direction as street
car shall not allow his vehicle to pass,
nor to approach within fifteen feet OF
such car, while the car is stopping or
stopped for the purpose Of taking on or
letting off a passenger, nor within such
distance of the place where passenger
shall have left such car until the pas.
senger shall have reached a place vi
The stipulation is made that this
regulation shall not apply where
driver can and does pass street ga.
without approaching within tWeht! ieS1
Of II, and with absolute saiey 70 @
persons. and without interfering IN any
manner with a person crossing e
roadway. However, there are rev points
where the twenty-foot rule holds good;
and the Commissioners have elininatea
fG~
, will become effective in August. - :
Racing Practice Dangerous.
Many MOTORISTS and motormen OF
street cars also are indulgtng In the
r dangerous practice of racing eacn olner
In street crossings. The motorlst wants
TO reach the crossing ahead of the
street car in order that he VIII not nave
n stoD while the street car is LOADING
or unloading passengers. The motor
mon have no object to gain, but IN
dulge in the ipractice for the sport OF
the thing. This practice is menace
TO pedestrians, and shoulo DC s'oppeu
at once. -, .,;n.,
During the rush hours of the morning
and evening the violations OF tne
ffteen-foot rule are particularly odh-
gerous, and many marrow escapes rom n.
accidents are being reported. In 1act'
complaints of violations OF the regula-
tidn are becoming so numerous thal
wholesale arrests of violators are nkeiy
to be made by the police authorlues'
q n Etchison and Howard A. Rhine
have ioined the sales force or the Gar
tercar Sales Company, agents 1or Sar-
tercar and Metz cars.
The Commercial Automobile and Sup
ply Company reports the sale OF Stuos-
4 baker So touring cars to Lieut.. l.; N.
Il Noreira, naval attache of the Brazlllan
embassy, Capt. John ); hlhsi'iAn' -
s A, and T. J. Leycre"'
A. T. chandler, OF the sales depart
rnent of the Paige-Detroit Motor Car
COMPANY, is spending rev Gays III
Washington, and is the guest OF me
SeIhv Company, Paige-Detroit agent
c,laude E. Miller. Charles E. Speaks
4 and Roy c. Mcdowell, of Miller Bros,
Z Ford agents. will leave tomorro% IoE
Detroit, where they VIII N'sit inc oiu
4 factory.
More than ordinary interest attaches
To the announcement of the incorpora-
ton of the Smith-Trew Motor COMPANY;
The papers were fled this week ana
sthc new company viii be ready for
4business within the next few days. The
new concern will handle the REQ ana
will have its sales room at SO -Four
treenth street. r. c. Smith and Joseph
Il
automobile business of Washington Tor
number of wears as distributors Of
overland cars Smith was formerly
travelling representative of the REQ
Motor Car Company and is thoroughly
familiar with the car made famous by
r E Olds. The new company expects
to take possession of the Fourteenth
street sales room early in August, at
which time several carloads of REQ cars
will he placed on display. A host of
friends bespeak for Messrs Smith and
Trew a large measure OF success in
their new venture.
President r II. Harper, of the Over
land Washington Motor Company. has
leased the two large sales rooms at 1929
and ln22 Connecticut avenue, and about
August Is the company will remove
from its present Quarters at 80 Four
teenth street The company will, frst
occupy 1922 Connecticut avenue. the
other building being temporarily occu-
pied by A real estate firm. Later in
August the work Of Transforming the
two stores into a spacious automobile
sales room will begin. President Ear-
Der has approved plans that will make
the new sales room one of the finest
and Best appointed automobile estab-
lishments in Washington.