Evening star., 1920-07-08
||STR|CT HEADLIGHT
LAW IS SPROPOSED
Public Safety Group Of City
Club Backs Move for
Stronger Measure.

A more stringent and adequate au-
! tomobile headlight law for the Dis
trict of Columbia is the aim of the
public safety group of the CITY CLUB.
| The present method of passing on
the legality of headlight lenses here
| is considered unsatisfactory and in
adequate, and at a meeting OF the
group last night at the city Cluo
plans were made for the "aglns Oh
a vigorous campaign for the adoption
! of necessary laws.
| Model Measure Wanted.
| The committee is anxious to make
! Washington'S headlight law modei
! one for the entire country. -.
The present method of the ponce
| is to guess as to whether headlight
dazzleS,' said W. Peare Rayiler'
| chairman of the group. LAS rule 1t is
pretty poor guessing. The DISTRICT mas
| passed headlights that would be re
| jected in practically every state in the
Union and has turned down headlights
that would pass muster in the state
of Connecticut, which is consloered
by experts to have the most rlgld
headlight law in the country. Inc ac-
ton of Maryland in passing a mead
light law has forced the matter upon
the District. and immediate action on
a new law is essential. The present
one is worse than a fzZle.
1t is understood that the headllght
campaign will be one of the hrst
works of this newly formed group. A
committee will be appointed TO con
fer with experts of the bureau ol
standards and other headlight author-
tiles and to report on the best pos
sible type of legislation. The DIS
trict Commissioners Will then De
asked to grant a public nearing on
the question and later to promuigate
such regulations as they deem wise.
Says That Lights Are Poor.
Mr. Rayner said that Washington
streets are about the poorest Hghted
streets for autofhobiling in the coun-
try. He said that practically no lgnt
was thrown in the middle of the road
way, the bulk of it being shed in the
cutters.
Closely following the campaign Tor
an adequate headlight law for the Dis
trict. the group will seek to have a
traffic court established here. ThlS
campaign will probably be started next
fall when Congress reconvenes.
THE present handling of traffic law
violations by the Police Court is an
absolute fiZZle." said Mr.. Rayner. Ex-
tremely reckless drivers and old Of
tenders are let off repeatedly with light
fines. The judges are so occupied with
other matters that they cannot give
scientific consideration to traffic prob
lens and they do not fully realize the
seriousness of infractionS of the traf-
fic regulations. A traffic court would
put all these matters in the hands OF
experts"
School Safety Considered.
Safety of the public schools will
also be given consideration by the
group. Mr.. Rayner said that many
of the school boilers are tended by
inexperienced persons and that as a
result thousands of pupils are sitting
over what might be considered a po-
tential volcano.
The group has arranged for the ap-
pointment of committees on fire de-
partment and fire protection, police,
traffic, elevator safety, public school
safety, river and harbor protection,
street and interior lighting and law
enforcement.
The housing group of the club will
hold it's organization meeting at
o'clock tonight in the clubhouse.
Members of the club interested in any
phase of the housing problem, from
the viewpoint of the landlord. tenant,
builder, hotel manager or civic well
fare worker. have been invited to at
tend.