Evening journal., 1921-08-29
Spirit Of the
DeImdruia Press
MIST BE Tanned

The State Highway Police OF Del
aware are making an active cam
paign against the road hog. speed
fiend and reckless driver Of automo-
biles. This is absolutely necessary
for the protection Of the thousands
Of automobillsts who daily use the
roads of the Diamond State. Those
who abuse the privilege OF driving
car on the highways, should be
brought before the proper author
tiles and this privilege taken from
them. In line with this thought
an article which viii appear in Sep
TENDERS Popular Mechanics Mag
azine is timely and OF interest. The
writer OF the article says:
Time was. not so very long ago.
when thousands OF men were Grip
pied or killed while coupling freight
cars. II was considered unavoid-
able. Circular saws, planers, and
all sorts OF sharp-cutting. swiftly
moving machinery took their annual
toll in lives and limbs. 1t, too,
was unavoidable"
With the perfection OF motor We
hicles came high-powered. quickly
responsive engines. and the natural
impulse OF most people, especially
the younger to travel faster and
faster. To one who reduces his
auto speed from 35 or 40 miles an
hour to 20 1t seems as IL he were
barely moving; yet his car is travel
ing 29 feet a second. Even an
active. alert person does not go very
| far in five seconds. but the car, If
unchecked, will have gone $50 feet.
With the demand for speed ability
in a car, manufacturers increased
performances. until now even a
moderate priced car is guaranteed
to do its 60 or so miles an hour, and
some 90 or 100 miles. With inn
proved roads also came the tempta-
ton to step on It," However,
rate OF speed is a relative thing, for
at times, and places 40 miles an
hour is safer to the public than 90
miles a few hours later. The earlier
restrictions as to speed have there
fore, wisely, been revised in many
cities and states, and especially out
side corporate limits, to read "at
a safe rate OF speed"
The ordinary passenger train does
not average over 40 miles an hour.
and its engineer must have several
years of careful training. and pos
sess certain abilities OF judgment
and skill before he is entrusted with
a train; yet practically any one with
at least one good eye is permitted
to drive an auto. An hour or two
is sufficient to master the shifting of
/ gears and apply the brake; but by
no means all drivers have the ne
cessary alertess of decision IN an
emergency. and others are careless,
Indifferent, or preoccupied. Hence,
with nearly nine million automobiles
and hundreds OF thousands OF mo-
tors trucks. we now have a condi-
every year by motor cars in a single
city than are killed by all the rail-
roads in the United States.
Coroners' juries, police and other
courts have been so lenient. impos-
ing at the most a fine OF a few dol
lars. that the death rate is increas-
ing by leaps and bounds. Some
thing has to be done to check the
unnecessary slaughter In n W
York State the penalty for inexcus-
able driving is now the curtailment
or revocation OF the offenders Ii
cense to drive a car. Already this
year $500 drivers licenses have
been cancelled some for a few
weeks, others for six months or a
year, and some forever. Massa-
chusetts has also started on the same
policy, and other states would dc
well to follow without delay. There
is no injustice nor hardship what
ever in this; the unworthy are de-
prived OF a privilege they scorned
TO appreciate, and the public is safe.
guarded against a repetition and ths
carelessnes OF others who are thu,
made more cautions. France ha,
recently found It necessary to re
wise its motor regulations to meet III
increasing death rate from tht
source.
The automobile has not only com'
b to stay, but to Increase; like all 9th
er good things it is easily abused
and the surest. quickest, most ef
fective way to reduce It's dangers Z
minimum is to withhold it's us
from the dangerous and undeserv
- ing.
4 Automatic safety couplers hav
reduced the railroad casualties from
thousands TO scores; dangerous ma
O chinery has been safeguarded to
a great extent. In every plant 4
the country safety first is .taugh
constantly. The wild men and VIC
men driving motor vehicles can ais
be tanned, and must. Then VIII
. prolong the slaughter?