Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-16
Traffic Court an Essential.


That surprise was felt by the local
community yesterday, when. it was an
nounced that the House and Senate
District committees had in their joint
session, called to consider local meas
ures OF Importance. especially bill to
remedy traffic evils in the District,
voted against establishing traffic
court, is to state the case mildly. In
all OF the proposals for traffic remedies
that Of a specific court vested with full
jurisdiction and equipped to do it's
work quickly and effectively has
been foremost. 1t is recognized on all
sides save, it would now seem, by the
legislative committees, that to give
swift and fully corrective enforcement
to the laws regulating traffic is the
first essential in any program of new
lawmaking.
At present traffic violators are not
promptly punished. Owing TO the con-
gestion. in the court, and as the re-
suit of forfeitures of collateral, they
are able to remain free of penalty,
save the collateral. for a long time.
Cases are piling up in court owing to
demands for jury trials in the most
serious offenses. The other day a de
PENDANT charged with driving while
drunk, which IS one of the most griev-
GUS Of all violations, was sentenced
only after five months of delay.
The argument against the traffic
court which appears to have swayed
the joint committee to it's surprising
judgment is that ii would entail a
needless expense and that the present
courts should suffice for the trial of
these cases. The record stands against
that contention. In the first place, a
traffic court would more than pay its
own expenses in the fines collected, at
the prevailing rate of undertaking in
this District. In the second place, the
present courts, crowded with cases of
another character, cannot, unless
materially enlarged. cope with the con.
slant and increasing flow of trafic
violations
Under the present conditions. with
dSSlRneO
during part of the time for traffic
cases, so slow is the procedure. owing
to lack Of time and jury equipment,
that witnesses are kept waiting at
court for many hours, even for days.
Policemen bringing charges are held
off duty. The traffic squad in active
service is depleted in consequence
The very process Of enforcing the law
lessons the chance of detecting Of
tenders and haling them to court.
A traffic court is needed here to per-
NIT the immediate trial OF minor Of
tenders and prompt attention to vio-
lations Of a greater nature. The for
feiture Of a collateral should be
stopped, SO that every rule breaker
may be taken at once to court and
there tried and. if convicted. punished
If the forfeiture of collateral con-
tinues to be permitted the present
congestion in the Police Court will be
increased many times. If the practice
is continued the laws fail of effect, as
it is impossible to keep a reliable rec
identity Of repeated rule-breakers
habitual violators who should be treat
ed with drastic penalties on an in
creasing scale. -:
1t is not too late for the joint COM
1nittee to reconsider this decision. De-
pendence upon the disposition of mo
florists to obey the laws has proved to
be dangerously fallacieus The So
called traffic court, which is merely a
branch of the Police Court sitting on
part time, has proved to be made.
quate. Without traffic court more
severe penalties provided by the pro.
posed new law for various grades of
offenders will not be effective.
Washington needs and must have
relief from the present murderous
conditions that exist in it's streets. A
traffic court is one Of the first essen
tials OF that relief.