Evening star., 1923-01-21
RECKLESSNESS. NOT SPEED.
CAUSE OF MOST ACCIDENTS
Traffic Subcommittee of Trade Board
Recommends Adjustment Of Fixed
Speed Limit.

ing to time Of day. such as rush
| hours, or of night. when streets are
deserted; such as the condition of
the roadway. due to rain, snow, ice.
! leaves. street lighting and so forth. The
grade OF roadway viii figure to the same
degree that slower speed is neces-
Sary TO descend hills and a faster one
for ascending.
driver only can know should deter
mine what constitutes safe speed
TOR him to use under existing condi-
tionS such as ths mechanical condi
tton of his moter vehicle as regards
brakes. lights tires. chains and so forth;
such as the weight OF and the load on
his vehicle-the heavier a motor truck
and its load. the slower its safe speed
! under existing conditions.
Should Know Limitations.
Every driver should know his limi-
iations and be held responsible for
might be technically less than the
present fixed limits.
| AT the same time probably one half
! or the arrests under the fixed speed
limit plan are purely technical ar
rests and the driver convicted was
not under tie existing conditions
driving at 2 dangerous speed.
Almost 5000 arrests for speeding
in twelve months. most of which We're
at speeds well under thirty miles per
less driving at lower speeds. and not
high speed. which causes most Of the
accidents
"A traffic count Oh 18th street prov
ed that less than . per cent of the
motor vehicles were driven over
twenty miles per hour. and Of these
oue-fourth bore out-of-town licenses
During the four days of the traffic
! count not a single accident was OBJ
served.
, This recommendation of the board
of trade subcommittee is not intended
to and will not cause any faster driv
| ing than is now the rule. but would
leGaliZe the present driving Of care
full. responsible citizens and severely
punish the reckless driving of any
one at any speed. however slow or
fast il might be.
every motorist in Washingto
! breaks one of our present fixed speed
regula tions every day and il appre-
| hended could be taken into court and
| fined. The traffic count on 18th street
proved that no driver slowed down
! to twelve miles per hour at street
! intersections. With the wide park
ings there was an ample view and no
necessity for speed of twelve miles.
Many Exceed Limit.
at present hundreds of arrests per
day could be made of motorists driv-
ing somewhat over twenty-five miles
per hour on outlying streets. but do
/ ing so with care and Judgment. At
the same time there are many drivers
who are either reckless or feel privi-
| legged 70 drive at speeds in excess of
thirty. miles per hour. and many
street cars have been paced at speeds
in excess of thirty miles an hour.
and they nearly always go over
twenty-five miles per hour in out
lying sections. which puts a great
burden on the motorist who tries to
adhere rigidly 70 the present fixed
limits and also stop behind a street
| car at every car stop.
Very lew accidents occur in the
outlying districts and very few in
! the heart OF the city. Most occur in
between. where Il slower speed is
normal in the built-up sections. and
are caused by reckless driving on the
part of the motorlst or extreme care
lessness of the pedestrian.
The adoption of the variable speed
regulation. furnishing reckleSsness in
stead of speed only. would make the