New-York tribune., 1919-12-21
al Information for Motorists Trade and Fa
Reckless Driving
Calls for Sharp
Check to Offenders
'lhefts, Bad as They Are,
Not as Great ain Evil as
Accidents Due 10 Careless
Operation Of Automobiles

Attention of the members OF the
National Motorists Protective
League is directed by Harry W.
Castor its president, to an article
appearing recently in Harvey S
Weckly,' in which reckless driving
is discussed in forceful way. The
article. taking for its text the legs-
lation covering the taking Of a stolen
automobile from one state to an
other, IS in part as follows:
Mr.. Dycr's bill has become law, and
it is noW a serious crime under Fed
crsl law, puni> liable by fine and i'm
prisonment. to drive a stolen automo-
bile from ore state into another, or to
sell or buy a stolen car in another
state than that in which it is stolen.
The actual crime Of stealing has, of
course, to be left to the state to punish.
By an ingenious application to the
power to regulate commerce between
states the Federal government assumes
jarisssictlon over the ccmmonest
mcthoA OF Glsposng of stolen cars, and
thus greatly diminishes the lure Of
larceny.
1t is, indeed, time that something was
done 10 that end for the stealing Of
motor cars has increased to the stature
Of leading industry. Last year, in
Only eighteen cities Of New York State
alone, no fewer than 22,273 cars were
stolen. representing, at the moderate
cstiN Ite of 200 each. the sum of
$22,273, 900. True, most of them were
recovered. But 4,9S2, or 90 per cent,
were never recovered, representing. at
the same low estimate, q loss OF s4,-
9S2 O00
At that rate, in the whole country,
the value of cars stolen must have
run into hundreds OF millions. If Mr..
Dyer's bill results in any material
abatement Of so gigantic an evil he will
be entitled to honorary life member
ship in every automobile club in the
land.
There is, however. a greater evil
still, which still more loudly cries for
abatemcnt That is the extensive and
steadily increasing violation not Of the
Eighth but of the Sixth Commandments; :;
not larceny committed effectively upon
motorists. but mansaug ghteY- includ-
ing suicide committed subjectively by
them. Taking the State of New York
again as a sample Of the whole country,
the steady increase, year by year, Of
automobile fatalities is startling and
dscreditable in The extreme-far ex-
ceeding, We must believe, the increase
IN population, though perhaps not in
the number of machines owned and
used.
The number in 1914 was 80; in 1915
it was Ga; in 1916 it was 500; in 1917 it
was 1866, and in 1913 it was 1,213.
Thus in four years it increased by
more than 15l per cent. This year the
increase continues. In the first eight
months Of the year the mortality was
S46, as against GA in the same part Of
last year. At that rate the total of
1919 threatens to be about 1,520.
What that means may be appreciated d
from the fact that it is nearly twice
the death roll from the two dreaded
and fatal scourges of scarlet fever and
diphthera put together. 1t means, too,
that in the whole country between
10000 and $4,000 persons are killed
every year in automobile accidents :;
probably SO per cent of which are
avoidable.
In some places. notably in New York
and other large cities, many Of the
victims are pedestrians. On the whole