Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-21
BY WILLIAM ULLMAN.

If novelty is any assurance of sue
cess for an automobile accident-pr
Tention plan, the latest thought in
this line should gain immediate at
tention and perhaps merit serious
consideration.
1t is coming to he recognized that
there are degrees of ability and con-
scientiousneSS in driving and that as
a result motorists should be granted
various and appropriate degrees of
licenses, gradua ting from one to an
other as the circumstances warrant.
The present method of penalizing
the careless driver by revokinE his
license is said to be so drastic as to
defeat the purpose of those who adj
vocate il. Under the present system,
for instance many driver who is
not quite careless enough to be-put
ofe the road altogether is allowed TO
enjoy the same rights as the man
who is an expert. while another driver
who has been perhaps little unfortu-
nate will be denied driving privileges
altogether.
New Idea Advanced.
The new thought being advocated
would eliminate this feature and sub
Stitute in it's place IL veritable form
of restriction and punishment, and
one that might stimulate a desire on
the part of the average driver to i'm
prove and thus be admitted to a
higher classification.
Some of the proposals In this con-
neCtion are interesting. In one plan
drivers would be sorted by the motor
vehicle department of their respec-
tive states into various classes, ac-
Cording to their past experience,
their present behavior and their
rating at the time of the driver test.
one group of drivers would be en-
titled to drive cars in one class
and another group would be allowed
to drive another class of car. Drivers
penali5ed most severely - OF those
entitled to drive at all---would find
themselves limited TO the smaller.
cheaper. less comfortable and slower
cars, while experts at the wheel
would find themselves enjoying the
pleasures of high powered, luxurious,
speedy cars.
The idea behind this proposal is
that drivers penalized would be do
ing their utmost to endeavor TO be
privileged to enjoy the benefits of
faster and more powerful cars. 1t is
argued that ownership of smaller
and cheaper car would carry no
stigma, since many persons who can
afford better cars often choose these
from choice, but that it would be a
uecloed penalty 10 SpeederS and road
hogs, who would have their style
Cramped by smaller cars.
Variance in Qualification.
Under this plan there would be
sume drivers not qualified to drive
any machine, many qualified to drive
cars that cannot be used so success
fully for Joy rides and speeding, and
third and smaller group qualified
10 enjoy car advantages with which
they could be trusted Advocates of
the plan visualize the penalized mo-
torist making a determined effort to
become more skillful, more law abid-
ing, more respectable, thereby quail
tying for admission to higher
classification.
This division of cars into various
groups is, of course, subject to con-
siderable criticism, but many believe
that the very novelty of the idea is
such as to stimulate greater in
terest in something different in pen
alties as feature of accident pre-
Vention. 1t is generally admitted
that the revocation Of license pro-
cedure is far too broad a classical
ton and that in encouraging it's ex-