Evening star., 1924-12-21
DISTRICT RESIDENTS UNITED
IN DEMANDING TRAFFIC RELIEF
Congress Committee Has Big Task in Framing La,g
I. /. To Fit Necessities of Motoring Safety
$50 In Washington.

Barber. traffic expert of the Chamber
of Commerce of the United States.
Other provisions in the bill which
the committee will discuss when II
! meets again on January are:
| Issuance OF operators permits in
| three colors, elimination Of all-night
parking. speed and reckless driving
| penalties for violation of traffic laws
headlights, garage reports on repair
! ing cars, operation of pound for mo-
tor vehicles and citizens complaint
| cards.
Operators Gard System.
| The tentative bill provides that the
| original operators card shall be in
white; that on first conviction this
! card shall be forfeited and a blue
card substituted, and on second con
| viction the blue one taken up and a
yellow one issued.
While this system undoubtedly
| would go a long way to check up on
| motorists, there are many who feel
| that it would mean a large amount of
| bookkeeping, and that If the original
| card were punched or marked in some
way when the holder is convicted OF
| a traffic violation the same result
| would be obtained.
The elimination of all-night park
| ing Is a moot question, although 1t
! is admitted that It would be desir-
| able thing There are three classes
| of motorists to whom this would ap-
| ply-those who have not the means
| to provide garage for their cars
| those who live considera BILE distance
| from a garage and those who hesi-
| tate to leave their cars in public
| garages.
There are probably a great many
motorists belonging to the first class
| OF course, the argument Is immedl-
ately advanced that il they cannon
afford to store their cars, they should
not own them. OF the second class
| there are many, too. They might be
described as lazy" but no one cares
particularly about walking four Oh
| five blocks If the car is needed in q
hurry. The third class is the small
est and consists Of those who do not
! want their cars handled by any one
| but themselves.
| speed Question Looms.
| The speed question is one that will
! probably bring forth a great deal OF
| argument. although students of traf-
| hc are rapidly reaching the conclu-
sion that not speed but reckless driv-
| ing should be stressed. 1t is under
stood that meny members of the com
| mittee favor a maximum speed limit
| of 80 an hour, with a drastic reck-
| less driving provision which would
| make lab to arrest any motorist
| operating at any speed without due
regard to the safety of traffic. Any
speed over 80 miles an hour would
| be prima facie evidence that the mo-
| torist was reckless.
While the provision relating &c
| headlights in the tentative bill is
| drastic in the extreme, it does not
| solve the problem. because IT merely
provides that headlights are not al
lowed to be dimmed in the city; that
| the lights shall be visible for at least
| 200 feet ahead, and that the lens shall
have been approved by the Bureau OF
Standards.
There is considerable controversy
about the first item. Even States
with acknowledged headlight laws
such as Maryland and Connecticut
have not been able to get away from
the dazzling light menace. What pro-
lection is there to the District if all
lights are ordered by law to be
turned on full blast? There is moth
ing in the tentative bill that men
tions focusing and fitting, which are