The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
STANDARD RULES
FOR TRAFFIC URGED
BEST SAFETY PLAN
zoos
W. p. Emo Addresses Ma
..a.a i, ton Highway Con-
-, ference at Yale.
:. a.OUTLINES HISTORY
SAYS Public Must be Educated
- Before Regulation Can
Be Certain.
.:OUTLINES HISTORY

william p. Emo. internationally
kaovn traffic expert, outlined inc
most modern methods in tranlc reg
uIations when he addressed the con-
,sr.nes on highway traffic regula-
.tions at Yale University. ne saiN'
in part: .,,,o
r.suIation consists in the knowledge
- how to regulate the movement OF
I,shicles and pedestrians so that
tbev interfere with one another as
fittis as possible and are enabled to
20 from point to point in the short
es, time compatible with safety.
"Trafic regulations are divided
INTO two parts-general and special.
Gsneral highway traffic regulations
an. those which contain all things
essential for the largest city and
nothing superfiuous for the smallest
village, Such regulations should be
STANDARDIZED and their general use
insisted upon throughout the whole
country, since without such use II
Is impossible TO regulate tranic
safely or economically. Failure 10
realize this fact has always resulted
in chaos and unnecessary loss OF
life.
Education First.
Tn the scientific regulation OF
traffic the first and most important
step is the education of those TO De
regulated. II this principal Is fol0
lowed the work of the police be-
comes that of prompters and assist
ants rather than that Of enfercers.
Nrfa hnn
they know their rights, become the
real regulators as they resent m
fraction by those few-a constantly
diminishing number attempting to
override the rights of others. This
was once a theory, but to those IA
niliar with the work il has long
since proven to be a fact. 1t is hu-
man nature, common sense, econoni-
cal and psychological.
"Aagin. If educational measures
are relaxed traffic regulation goes
backward. Much of the present
trouble in our cities is directly
traceable to this, as is the chaotic
condition existing in Paris since the
war. 1t is no uncommon occurrence
for the head of a police department,
in order to camoufiage his own cul-
pability in failing to supply copies
of the regulations, to issue an order
for the wholesale arrests of drivers
for infraction of regulations which
they have not been given a practical
chance to become familiar with.
1T is essential that general traffic
regulations be brief or they will not
he read, clear or they will not be un-
derstood, reasonable or they cannot
be enforced uniform or they will
result in confusion and danger.
First Regulations.
The first set of general highway
traffic regulations was adopted in
New York, October 30, 1903. These
have gone through many revisiors.
They were officially issued in Paris
on July 10. 1912. On May s. 1919. a
new revision most carefully pre-
pared was offered for standardiza-
tion by the Council of National De-
fense through it's highways trans
port committee. 1t is not probable
that any other set will be compiled
in the near future which will
be better. although arrangements
should be made so that from time to
time suggestions for improvements
can be considered
now is that many Of the cities have
delegated aldermen. commissioners
or police officers to formulate traf-
nc rules. These officials, with few
exceptions, not content to profit by
the experience of others. appear TO
have been actuated in their IegisIa-
tive efforts by desire to originate
and satisfy a pride of authorship.
The result of their efforts has been
that while they have stultifed
themselves by adopting everything
OF value in the New York reguIa-
tions, these have been so distorted
BY rearrangement. rewording and by
important omissions and uninpor-
tant additions that the patchwork
thus produced has been confusing
and much too long. The sets of reg
ulations given to some of our cities
contained over $500 words, lacking
both sequence and order and mixing
up special regulations with general
regulations.
Traffic regulations should never