Evening star., 1924-06-08
Driuers Urged to attend Safety
Conference to Block Bad La,us
Absurdities IL, Motor Vehicle Regulation
Loon, As Real Root of Traffic
Troubles, Says Expert.

public liability and property damage
coverage to a specific driver. with in
dorsement If others were permitted TO
drive the car. Obviously this pre-
ing any Tom, Dick or Harry to run
their machines, and it is only mat
ter of noting that insurance rates
were reduced to see that this precau-
tionary coveraEe helped TO cut GOVT
the number of accidents. 1t is argued
by many that the insurers should
have kept the lid down now that they
had started something worth while
There is something rather startling
in the fact that the law allows any
one who claims he can drive one par
ticular car to take the wheel OF any
car and that the insurers will indem-
nifty for any losses which such a
driver may entail when he has Dor
rowed, with permission, some car
upon which insurance has been writ
ten.
The alarming increase in automo-
bile accidents and fatalities through
out the country is not so alarming
when one recalls that persons who
have never demonstrated their ability
to drive cars can operate their ma
chimes, or machines owned by others,
in states where drivers have been eN-
amined and where people at the
wheel expect certain degree OF abIl-
ity to be displayed by those at the
wheel of other cars.
Here is an inconsistency that is
now receiving serious attention:
Privilege OF Transient.
The man who halls from a state
where examinations are not the rule,
or from a section of the continent
where the holding of an operators
license is not required by law. is priv
ileged to drive for limited period
in a. state where licenses and examin-
ations are required of local drivers.
If he has permission of the owner he
is privileged to drive car that does
not belong to him. But. in spite OF
this leniency. he is not allowed to
drive a locally licensed vehicle un-
less he first takes an examination and
obtains a license.
From the standpoint of safety, what
difference does it make whether an
uneXamine ed driver happens to be driV-
ing a car with foreign license plate or
a local one? There is still the likeli-
hood that an incompetent person is
at the wheel of an automobile.
As one man has put it. accident pre-
good topics for conversation. All dis
cussions to the contrary notwith-
standing, these subjects are not being
taken seriously.
Taking Own Hazards.
What for example, does it mean
when a highway department posts the
warning, Road under repair. Travel
at your own risk? Some say that
this is a clear statement of the fact
that the state is more Interested in
repairing road than in saving
life. Otherwise traffic would be re-
routed over safe detours.
This is putting it straight from
the shoulder" The faircr view of the
matter is that the whole of motordom
has been SO muddled with inconsist-
encies that even the highway depart
ments are guilty of inadvertently
contributing to the menace of high
way hazards.
The greatest Inconsistency of all.
many contend. is the present apathy
toward the subject. The facts are no
secret, yet far too many officials are
proceeding on the assumption that we
must look to some hidden cause of
present problems.
The general motoring public could
do motoring great service by at
tending the many traffic and safety
councils being held around the coun-
try and by helping to focus atten-
ton upon these inconSiStencles-the
real root of the trouble.
Copyright. 1924