Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-05-03
Many Ne1U LaWs Drafted
for HOOsier Motorists
1921 Legislature Breaks Record for Practical
Vehicle Regulations Measures
Explained.

left running while such motor vehicle OF
motor bicycle is left standing without
! an attendant on any public place or
highway in this State.
Every person operating or driving
motor vehicle or motor bicycle On the
public highways or other public places
Of the State shall also, when approach
ing a cross road, outside the limits Of
| city or incorporated town or village,
slow down the speed of same, and shall
sound the bell, horn or other device for
signaling in such manner as to give no.
tice and warning of his approach.
Every commercial motor vehicle shan
be equipped with a mirror or reflector
attached to and so located and adjusted
on such vehicle as to give the operator
thereof q clear reflected view of the
: highway directly to the rear of such
motor vehicle, so as to enable the oper-
ator to gee and observe machines and
vehicles approaching from the rear and
desiring to pass. Hereafter it shall be
unlawful for any person, firm or cor
poradon to sell, barter or otherwise dis
pose Of any commercial motor vehicle
unless the same is equipped with mir
Tor or reflector as hereinbefore provided.
"AIl laws and parts of laws in con-
! hict herewith are hereby repealed.
Whereas an emergency exists for the
immediate taking effect Of this act, the.
same shall be in full force and effect
from and after the passage"
ROAD PATROL TO
AID AUTOIsTS.
Of the bills designed for the benefit
Of motorists which impose duties on
other than motorists, probably the most
important is House bill 1874, providing
for the establishment of the patrol sys-
TEN Of caring for the highways.
This bill makes it mandatory for ths
board Of commissioners of the county to
name a highway superintendent at their
meeting in January, 1922. The highway
| superintendent, appointed for a period
Of four years, shall report to the COM
missioners the ways and means of main
tanning roads and shall designate roads
to be patrOlled by assistants. The coun-
" commissioners are charged with the
duty Of proTiding the highway superin-
tendent with the necessary materials
help and equipment to carry out the
plans of maintenance Of roads embodied
in this report, and the report is made
a matter of public record for inspection
at all times.
The highway commissioner may be re-
moved for cause, hut the commissioners
are precluded from interference In the
work Of his department or with his en-
ployes.
BROADENs POWERS OF
HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT.
In effect, this bill places the main
tenance Of roads entirely in the hands
, Of thu highway superintendent, provides
him with the material, help and equip
ment which in his judgment is neces-
sary and holds him responsible for the
maintenance Of the county roads Tho
county council fixes the tax levy to pro-
vide the funds necessary for his work
and his department is maintained out of
the gravel roads funds of the county.
Senate bill No. 80 is designed to take
away from the cOnstables and justices OF
the peace the privilege Of haling motor
lists into court for the purpose of mulct-
ing them Of fines and fees. It vests IN
the city Judge exclusive jurisdiction over
the violators Of city traffic ordinances
and the State highway traffic laws It
was designed to stop the annoyance OF
motorists by constables from outlying
districts who magnifed technical and
trivial violations of ordinances and laws
into misdemeanors and subjected the mo-
florists to hardships in answering sum-
monses and meeting afidavits, frequently
filed IN other townships than those In
which they reside or in which the al
legged offenses were committed
VEHICLE THEFT
PENALTY Is STIFF.
Senate bill No. 80 defines the crime Of
vehicle taking and fixes the penalty at
imprisonment in the State prison not less
than three years nor more than FIVE
years, disfranchisement and an optional
fine Of not less than 500 nor more than
$1,000 For a second conviction it pro-
vides penalty of five to twenty years
IN prison and the same optional fine,
with Acknowledgement 1t also provides
that no person who shall have been
found guilty Of a violation Of any Of the
provisions Of this act shall be con-
the crime Of vehicle taking as
herein defined; nor shall any person
when so convicted be imprisoned for q
shorter period of time than the minimum
period of imprisonment for a first, sec
ond or other subsequent conviction"
The purpose Of this bill was to In
crease the penalty for vehicle stealing
and to make it impossible for q court 20
permit a person who steals a vehicle to
escape the minimum punishment by en-
tering plea Of guilty to petit larceny
or some other misdemeanOr punishable
only by a fine and Jail sentence.
House bin No. 26S provides for clear
vision Of road intersections for a distance
of 100 feet and imposes on the officials
duty of seeing that line and hedge fences
and other distractions Of the kind at
intersections are kept below an altitude
Of five feet from the center of the road
way. Provisions is made for the clear
ing Of these distractions at the expense
Of the owner of the property.
Senate bill No. rs provides for the pur-
chase by the county Of suitable guide
posts and their erection at the expense
of the county. Their erection shall be
subjected 10 the orders of the county
! highway superintendent and the design
shall be approved by the State highway
engineer 1t IS made a misde1ueanor to
remove, deface or damage any of these
signs.
House bin No. 1853 provides for the es-
tablishment Of permanent danger signs
at grade crossings Of railroads and in
terurbans, at the orders of the public
service commission, which signs shall be
uniform, and shall be maintained by the
counties in which they are placed. The
counties are required TO pay for the
signs and the railroads and interurbans
to haul them to the places of erection
and install them subject to the orders
Of the commission.
DETOUR SIGNS
FOR CLOSED ROADS.
Senate Bill No. 1o2 provides for the
establishment Of proper detour signs
when roads are closed for construction
or repairs 1t is Of particular interest
to motorists and is complete In its
terms.
1t provides for barriers, red lights and
datOur eIe ba P11