Evening star., 1923-02-08
BY THEODORE p. MOVES.

The traffic situation in the District
stage. Congress, the Commissioners,
the police department and the public
are vitality interested. The time has
arrived for careful and sane
analysis of the situation
Nothing. can be accomplished with
out thorough and painstaking 6
study. 1t does not help any to shrug
your shoulders and say "all acci-
dents are caused by the speeding au-
TO assert that pedestrians are re-
sponsible for all accidents-they are
always in the way" These are the
utterings of those who have given lit
tie thought to the matter, who refuse
TO go below the surface. IL they are
pedestrians, the first explanation
sutfices and satisfies; and if they are
motorists. 1t IS the other way around.
No one can afford to be blind to the
present situation. 1t Is real and
Eital--it concerns Grey one OF us-and
1t deserves the careful considerable
or every congressman, Commissioner
police official and of the interested
public.
"Trafio Hysteria.'' ..
accidents has come the agitation
This is fine thing; it makes people
tLink; but in the present case 1t is
Resulting in a sort, of. traffic hys-
terra" which does no good and which
in no way solves the problem.
Accidents in which an automobile
aud pedestrian are involved are
caused in many ways. Speed is en-
phatically not the cause of all acci-
dents. as many persons would have
hall L. I1yN
gerous. 1t is certainly the most
fatal. But it is not the sole reason
for the increase of fatalities.
There are a number of contributing
The highest. And in this connection
il should be pointed out that reck-
lessEess and speed can be two en-
tirely different things. A motorist
can be reckless and still not be speed
ing. and likewise he can be speeding.
in the accepted sehse of the word. and
not be reckless.
For instance. a motorist pushing
into a crowded intersection, where
walkers have the right of way. with
out coming to an almost complete
would certainly be reckless.
And. turning 1t the other way
around. II n competent driver was
proceeding out Massachusetts avenue,
with no traffic to hinder him, at per-
he speeding, but it could not be called
Iecklossness by any stretch Of the
imagination.
These two causes have been covered.
ReckleSsness should be punished ID
wherever found and fragrant cases of
speeding. where conditions warrant.
should be likewise punished. jail
sentences should be meted out whe n
motorist is guilty of either of these
TWO violations, if ii can be proved
that he was endangering life in doing
so.
Incompetent Drivers.
This is where the traffic 'hysteria''
IS beginning to assert itself. Judges
are being urged to send every one to
Jail, regardless OF the offense; so that
the man who drives carefully, but at
times mile or two over the limit on
clear streets, is just as culpable as
the man who smashes through crowd
ed streets, hogs" the road and en-
dangers the life of not only motorists.
but pede estrians. There is a vast diff
ference and it is hoped that circum-
into consideration when penalties are
meted out
Now. for some of the other con-
Tributing causes. Next to reckless
ness comes incompetence. Inoompe-
tence includes those drivers who are
easily ratified" and who are all hands
and legs the minute an emergency
Judgment of distance. which is one
Of the most prolific causes for acci-
dents of all descriptions.
The incompetent should never be
allowed to drive an automobile. The
regulations in the granting Of per-