San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-30
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?

A short time ago it was announced
from Austin that the legal speed limit
for automobiles on country roads would
be advanced from twenty-five miles an
hour to thirty-five miles an hour. Moth
ing, however, was done and the speed
limit still remains at twenty-five miles.
Several days ago the San Antonio
police department announced through
Commissioner Wright that the speed
limit had not been changed and that it
was still unlawful to run an automobile
on country road at any speed above
twenty-five miles an hour. This was
considerate and instructive, but what's
the use? What good is the statement?
Who does it affect? And who does it in
terest? In plain words, who gives a
hang whether the law says thirty-five
or twenty-five? Nobody will pay any
attention anyhow.
There are few drivers in Bexar coun-
ty who do not run over twenty-five miles
an hour when on a country road and
hundreds OF them travel thirty-fiye and
more. There is not the slightest pre-
tense of obeying the law and the chances
are that the average driver is so little
interested in the matter that he does not
even know what is the legal limit for
speed.
1t may be bit unfair to select any
one class of drivers as more guilty than
another but it is a safe assertion that
the drivers of Ford cars are the worst
breakers OF the speed limit to be found
anywhere. There is not the slightest
doubt that there is much higher per-
centage of law-breakers in regard to
speed among the owners of Fords than
among the owners of any other make
of cars to be found in the market or on
the road.
If any man doubts this, let him take
his car on the road, hold it closely to
twenty-five miles an hour and then note
how many Fords he will pass and how
many Fords pass him. The chances
are that he will not, at twenty-five miles
an hour, overtake a single Ford while
on the average, 4 Ford will pass him at
least once every four miles. 1t is true
that the percentage may in some part
be due to the fact that there are more
Fords to be found on any road than
any other make of car, but the fact re-
mains that the drivers of Fords are the
most fragrant violators of the speed law.
Recently the owner of car which
is probably as powerful and speedy as
any car to be found around San Antonio,
was trifle ahead of time in keeping an
appointment at Medina Lake He ex-
planned his premature arrival by saying:
81 was chased by Ford and l made
up my mind to test him out He gained
on me at twenty-five miles, gained at
thirty miles, gained at thirty-fivc miles,
nearly held his own at forty miles and
l only lost him when l went up to forty
five miles and over. That fellow was
dead set to pass me if the mechanism OF
his car void permit him to do it and
| Just wanted to try him out"
This of course is an exceptional case
as not many light cars get tip to a speed
of forty miles an hour at any time, but
for trying to pass" the case is merely
typical of what happens every day on
every well-paved road in Bexar county.
The Ford is nearly always in an illegal
hurry.
All of which brings us back to the
original query: who cares whether the
limit is twenty-five or thirty-five? No
body pays any attention anyhow, so
what's the difference?