Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-21
Novel Method in Preventing
Motor accidents Proposed
Ne,U Thought ADVOCATED Provides Vari.
able Form of Punishment for Care
less Drirers in Traffic Crashes.

| istence many safety advocates are
only working on the assumption that
q driver is either absolutely UNIT Or
an expert, which, they feel, Is not by
any means the case.
One by one proposals are coming
TO light which, in various ways. aim
to classify drivers in such a manner
as to deny them privileges which
they might not be safe with. One
motorist, who has been driving cars
of all varieties for years, says It is
criminal to license a man to drive,
Judging his ability by his perform
ance with small car, and then
allow him to get at the wheel Of a
machine that is capable of rs miles
an hour. He contends that, in all
fairness to men and women who have
spent years learning how to drive
| intelligently. no newcomer should be
| permitted to enjoy full privileges
until he has demonstrated his ability.
Perfunctory Test Faulty.
The perfunctory test conducted in
| some States is not the type Of test
! considered by advocates of these new
and interesting proposals. Under ex-
listing types of examination an appli-
cant for license merely aims to meet
the lowest possible requirements. If
| he just gets by" that is sufficient to
allow him to qualify for the fullest
of driver privileges. If he does not
pass the test the first time. he is al
lowed to try again, with the element
of chance always in his favor.
The question is raised. therefore, a
to whether the present methods OF
testing and licensing drivers are not
largely responsible for the excess
number of accidents through unwar-
+ ranted granting of privileges.
1t is estimated that because the re-
quirements are so modest most of the
people who are driving cars in Amer
lea are only in the elementary grades
of car control and that they have no
definite incentive to improve.
If the requirements were suddenly
| raised it is estimated that most of
the people who now call themselves
drivers would not be able to pass, the
situation being such as to vouchsafe
the failure of the plan.
Carefully analysed, the classical
ton plan, therefore. does not appear
to be SO radical after all, for IL would
take into account both of the proceed
ing points. 1t would deny full drfv-
ing privileges to those who do not as
yet deserve them, and at the same
time it would provide for gradual
education of drivers for the higher
qualifications
Second Test May BE Needed.
In other words. If you were just
able to pass a driving test your privi-
leges as an operator would be definite
ly limited until such time as you
could prove, through a second test,
that you are qualified for additional
privileges.
By the time you had qualified for
the privilege of operating a high
powered, speedy car, night time as
well as day, over ice-covered streets
AS we'll as dry, during traffic-peak
hours we'll as on" Sundays, you
would know how to use your privi-
leges without figuring in a collision
or fatality.
Like all plans, the details of driver
classification are subject to many va
rieties of revision, but, in the main,
the plan is coming to be regarded as
one to which the country will have to
turn eventually.
At present there are two classes
of drivers, officially speaking-the de-
sirable and the undesirable. The new
plan would aim to make them all de-
sirable, being particularly careful to
handle the undesirables fairly and
safely through the development