Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-03
WANTSSTANDARD
RULES0F TRAFFIC
President of Cole Motor Com
pany Urges All Cities to
Make Same Regulations.
SAFETY OF MOTORISTS
AND PUBLIC INv0L WE'D
Great Strides Made in Recent Years
in Protecting Lives at Street
intersections.

Even before the advent Of the motor
car it was found necessary in prac-
tically every community Of any size
to make rules and regulations govern
ing the use of the streets for the
safety of the public at large" says
J. ]. Cole. president of the Cole Motor
Company.
with the coming of the motor car
and the corresponding increase in
traffic. additional rules were needed to
properly care for the conditions which
arose. and these rules have become as
lions of the cities which originated and
strove to enforce them.
THE standardization Of these various
laws which govern the movement of
traffic in American municipalities
seems to me to be of vital Importance,
and the only practical method of solv-
ing the present traffic difficulties. 1t
not only will simplify the problems of
the tourist. just as the standardized
tion policy has simplified the problems
Of the motor car maker of today. but
will give additional strength to the
safety first movement.
TT Is difficult for the tourist who
travels by motor car from one city to
another to be compelled to follow a
variety of rules which. from the stand
point Of efficiency, might just as well
be standardized. 1t is d'scouraging
indeed. for the touring motorist-and
the number is Increasing enormously
each year-to find that he Is the un-
conscious transgressor of the regula-
tons of another city simply because
he is IGNORANT of any change in the
rules: for the law does not recognize
regulations standardized these diff
culties would be eliminated and the
cause of safety further advanced.
Safety First Rules.
"Out of wide experience the big cities
Of the United States have created, re-
vised and recreated rules which are the
foundation stones of the safety flrst
movement. assisted by the Safety First
Federation of America. This fedora
ton keeps In constant touch with those
cities which enforce traffic regulations
and gives it's full cooperation toward
lettering conditions wherever possible.
IN recent report in which the traffic
rules were discussed with fifty of the
large cities, 1t is shown that a ma
Slor,ty are awake to the situation. and
ana ordinances needed to increase the
safety of the public
Twenty-nine Of the fifty cities favor
regulations compelling street cars to
Twenty-seven see the necessity of COM
pei!ing all vehicles to carry lights at
night Forty-six would have the t-af-
nc officers control pedestrians at street
crossings. while forty-three favor the
construction of safety zones in the
street proper.
Rules pertaining directly to the mo-
tor car also are discussed, and thirty.
six cities favor the plan which compeIs
automobiles to stop while street cars
are discharging or taking on passen-
gers. Twenty-three demand that rules
enforcing the dimming of bright head
lights be put in effect, and thirty-six
favor periodical examination of mo-
tor-propelled vehicles
Safeguards the Public.
This latter rule is an excellent one
In that it safeguards the public from
the careless or reckless motorist who
fails to make sure that long and hard
service has not weakened those parts.
which, il broken while the car is in
motion, might mean the destruction of
life and property.
In this connection the supreme court
OF Vermont. In handing down a decis-
ION, says: There Is nothing inherently
dangerous about an automobile any
more than about an AK From this
statement 1t can be seen that the court
reels that the driver of a motor car.
Just like the wielder Of an ak, is the re-
sponsiole party, in that he must exer-
else proper care. The same application
may be made TO the street car. or any
other mechanical means of conveyance
The growth of the safety first move
meht curing the last two years
throughout the United States has been
exceedingly rapid and comes as a sur
prise ~ those who have not kept in
close touch with the campaign first in
hugurated by the Northwestern rail-
road and then taken up and advanced
70 it's present efficiency by the Safety
First Federation Of America.
The enormous strides which have
been made for the protection Of the
travelling public. either afoot or awheel.
by the different states and the various
municipalities OF the country can be
realized only when one stops to think
how much more secure he feels when
threading traffic today than he did only
few years ago.
Changes Brought by Time.
In the larger cities can be seen the
great improvement In handling the
crowds on the main thoroughfares
One or two years ago the man with
the heavy vehicle was the terror of
the street. if he desired to monopolize
IT: smaller cars had to give way, while
the pedestrian took his life in his hand
when crossing the street at a busy
corner.
Now IL Is entirely different Traf-
nc laws, with the blue coated officers
to enforce them. have changed II all,
and the small vehicles are given the
same rights as the large ones. The
pedestrian also, IL he will but learn to
obey the traffic officers signals, will be
as safe In crossing the street as he 10
on the sidewalk.
Detroit was the pioneer city in max
Ing and enforcing traffic regula tions,