Evening star., 1924-03-09

in charge OF the bureau of safety,
New York. The bureau has just clos
cd its first years work, and during
the last twelve months 1868 motor
vehicles on the city streets have been
Inspected OF this number 10,517 had
one defective brake. and the drivers
were required to report back with
the defective brake fixed for rein
spection. In o,239 cases both brakes
were defective and the drivers were
fined, the penalty usually being s25.
When the bureau was opened last
November Mr.. Collier insisted that
poor brakes were responsible for
many accidents. He organized brake
inspection squad TO see that braking
conditions throughout the city were
improved. 1T consisted of ten uni
formed policemen. They We're told
70 stop drivers of cars. particularly
Of the heavy type. make running tests
and, if found faulty. to see that both
were put in good condition.
National attention has been direct
cd to the work of the brake squad
Cnthought of before Mr.. Collier in
troduCed it into the New York city
police department. its operations have
been watched by many police depart
ments in the country. Recently the
National Safety Council issued a bull
lctin describing the working of the
squad and sent it to police depart
mcnts in the principal cities of the
United States. Various police chiefs
have visited the local bureau of
saftey headquarters to learn about
the brake inspection bureau.
Test for Brakes.
Lieut. Martin a. Noonan, who for
many years was in the motor cycle
division of the police department and
an expert in automobile safety, Is IN
charge of the squad. The inspectors
travel in pairs. Their method is first
IL signal an approaching truck or
other motor vehicle to stop. one
man then gets on the seat of the car
by the driver. who, under his instruc-
ton, VIII proceed TO start and then
stop. the patrolman making note
of the distance it takes the car 10
stop under various speeds.
At 4 speed of ten miles per hour
car, 10 pass the test, must stop with
IN nine feet; at fifteen miles, ~ithin
twenty feet; at tweny miles. WITHIN
thirty-seven feet, and twenty.hve
miles per hour within flfty-eight feet.
This test is made with both the 1901
and the emergency brakes, and II
either brake will not stop the car
within these distances at the speeds
indicated the brake is considered de-
fective.
If only one brake is defective. a
ticket is given to the driver and he IS
required to report back to the lnspec-
tor at a QeSlSndleu polAI llhiii
three days for a reinspection. II both
brakes are found defective, not only
is the car required TO be placed in
the nearest garage by the driver but
he also receiveS'a n summons TO court
and is prosecuted under the highway
act for operating a car on the streets
with defective brakes.
Wants Penalty for Neglect.
The driver of an automobile who
neglectS his brakes and operates
heavy truck or other motor VehIcle on
the congested streets of the city OF
New York without adequate braking
power is just as dangerous as a speed
maniac" Commissioner Collier says.
He should receive as severe a PEN
atty as the law allows.
Early in the life of the bureau we
saw that strict enforcement of the
state laws requiring adequate brakes
on automobiles was necessary to the
elimination of accident. 1t was OBJ
vious that many accidents involving
both injuries to persons and damages
TO vehicles could be prevented by
bringing about a better observance OF
this law.
Even though child, with reckless
abandon. rushes out into the street
within few feet from the front of an
approaching automobile, an accident
under these circumstances could fire.
quently be prevented by prompt ac-
ton on the part of the driver of the
However il his brake lining is worn
and the brakes do not hold properly,
the car cannot be stopped quickly
enough.
The same thing would be true if a
careless pedestrian stepped out into
he street in the middle of the block
without looking or was in any other
manner careless--the pedestrian in
this case, of course, would be to blame,
but the driver of the car with de-
haJlnr
der such control as would prevent an
accident, contributed to by the person
On foot, is crininally careless. In
other words the fact that IA pedes-
trian might be careless does not eX
use an automobile driver who also
is careless and reckless.
Finds Conditions Dangerous.
''The condition of some of these
heavy motor trucks is highly danger
GUS ! recall one case in particular.
One of our brake inspectors Signaled
4 tive-ton truck coming down a hill
on Amsterdam avenue. and after re-
"elving the policeman'S signal to stop,
It took the driver more than block
and half to stop. He did not have
a brake on his car. How could he
have prevented crashing into another
:ar at the street intersection at the
foot of the hill had one just happened
10 cross his path?
Another serious thing is the over
loading of trucks. Even when a, truck
has brakes that are in good condition
II a. five-ton truck, for instance, car
ries seven or eight tons. as is fire.
9uently done. it is impossible to stop
within a safe distance even though
the brakes may be perfect.
Law violations are not confined to
truck drivers. owners of many pas
Senger cars fail to keep their brakes
In good condition. This is not only
illegal. but II is highly dangerous to
Ia L.
cause his car to run into another We
hicle or injure some one. but they
may cause an injury to himself Self
preservation, ii nothing else, should
"auSe every owner OF q motor car to
inspect his brakes often and keep
them in good condition.
That the brake inspection squad is
needed in the campaign for public
street safety and to teach many driv-
crs, both careless and callous. salu-
tary lesson is indicated by the follow
ing cases from the files of the safety
bureau:
|. The driver of a commercial truck
was summoned to court in Brooklyn
of the bureau. was in court and this
driver, with twenty-five others was
called before the bench and at the
request of the judge he delivered a
safety lecture. The judge fined them
all for defective brakes. A week later
one driver was again caught and. as
inspection showed that his brakes
had not been repaired, he was
brought into court as a second Offend
>>r. fined $50 and sentenced to three
Gays in Jail.
Both Brakes Defective.
=. a man was observed driving a
truck up list avenue, zis-za-einr
from one side to the other. Tow men
working on the squad stopped him
and found that both his brakes were
defective In talking he oppo,ra5