New Britain herald., 1917-05-12
0un Topics


 Tlle new motor vehicle law has been
 printed in the legislature, but as yet
 its terms have not become familiar
 either to policemen or civilians In
 this amended act are several import
 ant changes with which it would be
 we'll for police and civilians to fa-
 miliarize themselves, in the one case that they might avoid breaking the law, and in the other that they would
 know when the law is being broken.
 The law itself takes up sixty pages of printed pamphlet but many of its pas
 sages are repetition of past laws,
 Among it's more salient items are the following:
 A commercial vehicle is any "de- signed or used for the transportation of merchandise or freight and any vehicle designed and used for the transportation of passengers and hav- ing a regular seating capacity for more than seven persons which is propelled or drawn by any power other than muscular, except such as Is run on rails or tracks"
 A dealer is any person who Is ac- lively engaged in the business of buy
 ing. selling or exchanging motor
 vehicles and who has an established
 place of business"
 IA An intersecting highway Is "any highway which joins another at an angle, whether or not 1t crosses the other"
 Bicycles having motor apparatus attached are regarded as motorcycles and motor vehicles areI those that are propelled by any power other than
 muscular that do not run on tracks or rails. Roller skates are not motor vehicles and under the law. neither are street sprinklers, ire department apparatus, police patrols, ambulances
 and vehicles used in transportat1ng the army or troops The difference between livery service and public service Is that the first includes any motor vehicle for hire with or with out driver, while the second includes any motor vehicle used as a taxi or jitney having a regular seating ca pacity of not more than seven.
 Regarding the license markers, the
 law specifies that the lower edge or the plates shall not be less than eighteen inches from tho ground ana the plates shall neither swing nor De in any way obscured. At night they must be so lighted as to be dis- itinguishable fifty feet away. All ap- plicants for drivers licenses must ne at least eighteen years of age Dut nothing herein contained shall pre- vent the operating of, motor venicie by an unlicensed person sixteen years of age or more, other than person T whose application has been oenieo {. or whose license has been suspendeo Y10 0n3Nd hvN a licensed operator, which licensed op- orator shall be personally liable for violation of any provision Of this act" In order to operate 8 public service car the operator must have special license and no such license wt'l be granted unless ~the applicant can show the approval of the chief of police of his town. On vehicles up to ten horse power one brake is suf- fcient but above that power two brakes are necessary and one must operate with the foot. All motor cycles shall have at least one brake which may be operated by hand. NC motorcycle shall be operated with the muffler open. No siren horns are permitted on any except military cars amb,ilances or fire department cars The law as 1t applies to the head lights on automobiles Is also important It nroyides that "every motor vehicle except a motorcycle. shall, during the neriod from one-half hour after sun set to one-half hour before sunrise, and whenever fog renders IL lmpos sible to see long distance. display at least two lights on the fofWaru part of such vehicle" The law states that all headlights must be visible q. :. least 200 feet ahead of the car. anu they shall be of sufficient strenstn eo show any substantial object III the roadway at least l 50 feet ahead. Fur +harnnore the law provides: Any light thrown directly ahead or sidewise shal, be SO arranged that no dazzling
 ,.avs or beams of reflected light, from
 ,t or any reflector, shall, at any tune. he more than three and one -han rect above the ground on level road ~
 . distance of seventy-five feet ahead
 of such vehicle No spotlights snaii
 ha used when another approaching
 vehicle is in sight. except when pro
 iectine their. rays directly upon the
 pround at a distance not exceedins
 thirty feet in front of such venlcle
 ,,sinr such spotlight and to the rlgn'
 of the center. of the highway
 Another highly important phase IS
 relative to the speed of motor
 vehicles: eff the rate of speed on any
 public highway exceeds thirty miies
 an hour for a distance of one-quarter
 of a mile. or if such. rate of speea
 a~caeds fifteen miles an hour through
 the thickly settled portion of any
 town. city or borough where bualo
 inrs average less than 100 feet apart
 s,,ch sneed shall be prima facie evi-
 derce,, that the operator is violating
 tha~1aw The same applies to, driving along roads with the view sobstructed,'
 srnnnd ] e;Srves, approaching h tersect- Ing ehtghyays and across a. pEiase
 Hventv-Ave feet in length. except that