New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-10
Railway Men Urge This
for Safety to
Motorists
AUTOMOBILE MEN SAY
THIS IS UNNECESSARY
Willing to Come to Halt
Where Imperative, but
Not Everywhere

Washington, Dec. 9.-When shall an
operator Of a motor vehicle be com
PEELED to come to a full stop at rail-
road crossing at grade, was the ques-
ton which got most consideration in a
recent conference here. participated in
by representatives of the National As
sociation Of Railway Commissioners,
the American Automobile Association
and the American Railway Association.
The meeting had as its purpose the
countrywide adoption of uniform
system Of signals and other precau-
tionary measures, IT being set forth
that zone sign should signify the same
thing everywhere, installed so as to be
in plain view Of the driver Of vehicle
and so that it could be plainly read at
night by automobile headlights"
Unanimity existed as TO the type OF
first warning sign TO be erected by
city, town or country and also that IT
should be located not less than 300 feet
from a crossing. But the full stop
proposition came in for much discus
sion. Chairman Osborne I. Yellott OF
the A. A. A. Legislative Board thus
presents the contention of the motor
lists:
at was realized by the A. A. A
representatives, who included President
H. NJ. Rowe, that although the number
of accidents at grade crossings was
small in comparison with the number
of such crossings made safely by mo-
florists in the course of year, never
theIess some steps should be taken to
reduce accidents to the lowest possible
degree. Two propositions were sug-
gested By the spokesman Of the rail
roads, the first providing that within
100 feet of the crossing the motor We.
hicle should not proceed at rate OF
speed greater than ten miles an hour
and the second that the motor vehicle
should be brought TO full stop not
less than ten feet from the nearest
rail Of the crossing.
THE first suggestion was objected
to on the ground that il was unreason-
able and would tend to give rise to the
maintenance of speed traps at such
crossings, with resulting inconvenience
and injustice to many motorists who
were, in fact, exercising all proper
caution in approaching the crossing 1T
question. The second was objected To
mainly on the ground that II was un'
reasonable to require motorists to STOP
at all crossings regardless, since in
many instances the tracks in either
direction are visible for such distances
as to make stopping entirely unnec-
essary.
at was finally agreed that motor
lists should be required to reduce
speed and proceed cautiously at all
crossings. and that the Public Service
commissions or Railroad commissions
of the several states should have the
power to determine the crossings at
which it was reasonably necessary
that stops be made; such full-stop
crossings to be designated by appro-
pirate signs, and the failure Of a
motorst to stop at such to be prima
facie evidence that he had not pro-
ceeded cautiously in making such
crossing.
an making this latter concession
the representatives of the motorists
realized that there are some grade
crossings at which ordinary prudence
requires a full stop, and that. mas
much as conditions vary so much at
this class of crossing, il would be
better to leave the determination of
such to responsible bodies, such as
Public Service commissions"