The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-03-02

NsE York City. March New
York has a traf{ic court, which, due
to tho New Workers. mania for
speeding. is one of the richest
courts of its kind in the world.
Thousands of. fines. at SIS or
more apiece. are collected here
every day from automobile oper-
at0rs who can or cannot explain
why they were rushing through the
city streets at the rate Of over 50
miles an hour. About 5000 such
cases are tried every week, and
last year over 100000 was col
lected by the court from speed vio-
Nations alone.
I In the same year, 746 persons, or
more than an average of two for
each day, were killed by automo-
biles in New York, in addition to
thousands who were knocked down
and injured. This year, it is pre-
dicted, the number will be cons;d-
erably increased.
In other words, it Is a foregone
conclusion that about 800 individ-
uals who now walk, the streets. pre-
sumably in good health and with
no thought Of suicide. will be hur-
ried of to the morgues before this
year is ended. 1t is equally GER
tain that hundreds of children will
be crippled during this period, and
that the city hospitals will be kept
l busy attending to motor casualty
cases.
With the tremendous increase in
the use of motor driven vehicles,
q certain number of accidents and
fatalit'es are inevitable. New York
City alone now has over 100000
automobiles, with extremely little
space in the downtown section in
which to accommodate them. Its
traffic system, while unusually eff
ficient for some thoroughfares, is
hopelessly inadequate in others, so
that in many congested places cars
are wholly unsupervised, and ped
estrians are left to cross the streets
as best they may, lodging ma
chimes, street cars and elevated
posts.
The pedestrians, moreover. are
woefully, careless. Exceeding dodg-
ing has made the New Yorker over
bold at street crossings, while
many persons, unacquainted with
the limitations of motor mechan-
isms, calmly place all Of the res
possibility Of risk on the automo-
bile drivers, 1t is not uncommon to
see man or woman step needless
fy in front of a moving automobile,
with the airy remark, "Well, il he
hits me. he'll get sued" or some
thing of the sort.
Speeding Greatest Cause Of Acct.
Nevertheless. while traffic con-
gestion and the heedlessness OF
pedestrians are important contrib
uting causes, the greatest cause for
motor accidents is unQuestionably
speeding.
According to Magistrate Freder-
lex B. House of the Traffic court,
the rate Of speed at which automo-
biles are driven has increased dan
gerously in the past few years.
Four years ago, the record of speed
I ers hailed into court was seldom
over 30 miles an hour, while today
it is frequently so and 55 miles.
The traffic court is the only ex-
listing check on this popular form
of sport. At least, its aim is to in
spire in the metropolitan automo-
bilist healthy respect for the
speed laws by fining him literally
every time he is caught breaking
them. If filming fails to make the
desired impression, it cannot be
said that the court does not rise
nobly to its duty.
| All day long, with the exception
of a couple of hours recess at noon
it's small, cramped quarters are
filled with disgruntled motor cal
drivers, in the process of forkins
over their fines, or waiting patient
ly for the gallant opportunity to dc
so. 1t is interesting to see the diff
ferent ways in which the guilty
take their punishment Some are
trembling with rage at what the,
obviously consider an outrage; 9th.
ers are Sullen with resignation. and
few exhibit exaggerated nonchal.
ance before the bar.
One of these was being heard the
other afternoon when the reporter
visited court.
"You are charged" said tht
Judge, pleasantly, with running Il,
a speed Of 80 miles an hour. 81:
that true?'
!, mo, sir" replied the immacu.
lately dressed offender, swinging
his cane carelessly back and forth
THE information of your officer is
quite wrong. My eyes were on the
speedometer at the time he came
abreast of the running board, and
it clearly recorded AZ and one hail
miles,