Milford chronicle., 1924-09-26

ONCE MORE an automobile horror has arous-
ed public interest in the reckless driving by men
and women, on the highways of Delaware The
pungng of an automobile into the canal at St.
Georges. Last Sunday, and the drowning of four
persons was the direct result of incompetence
of the man to properly drive an automobile on
the highways of any state. Had that car been
going at a moderate rate of speed when it ap-
preached the bridge, it could have been control
led and either guided safely, or stopped before
the calamity occurred. The ran for thirty
or more feet alongside the canal with a fence
intervening between it and the water before
making the final plunge. 1t was after midnight
and no obstruction to prevent the driver from
seeing the bridge and the canal. There was no
traffic approaching him at that time, so it is
self-evident that the driver was incompetent to
drive an automobile, which incompetency may
have been the result of lack of judgment caused
by drunkenness or lack of common sense. In
either case an incompetent person to trust with
an automobile on the highways. The claim that
the woman grabbed the steering wheel may or
may not be true, and there is no way to corro-
borate or disprove the claim, as the woman is
dead The main fact in which the public is
directly interested, is, that means to prevent the
same class of people driving cars on the high
ways of Delaware, shall be organized and en-
forced. Unfortunately the laws Of Delaware can
not apply to citizens of other states; but, the
laws of Delaware can be made to vigorously
punish all who break the laws when using the
Of the state. Make the laws so drastic
that there will be general outcry against their
larshness, on the part of those who would use
Delaware highways in either disorderly or illeg-
al traffic and then enforce them. People of the
class who are careless or reckless drivers, who |
come into Delaware with either automobiles or
rucks, are undesirables and we want none Of |
hem. The law abiding men and women, the |
men and women who respect the laws of God |
md man, have no fear of harsh laws in any
state It is the reckless fools and ill-bred peo-
pie who disgrace their own state, who need to
De dealt with harshly. At st. Georges Bridge,
where the United States Government is now hav-
ng large bridge built to carry traffic over the
,anal, is one Of three points where all north and
south bound traffic must cross the canal to get
% and from the lower peninsula cities and
owns It is congested at times and for that
eason it-requires careful driving at all times by
hose using the state highway Several acci-
lents have occurred at and on the approaches
% the bridge, within the past two years. In !
Zach case lives have been sacrificed. In one
mother was killed with her son driving the ma
,hine at a high rate of speed while entering the
own of st. Georges, and the last is the case of
family of four persons being wiped out In
ach case the cars were from neighboring states
nd the victims all near kin to the drivers. Ev-
rybody knows that an automobile can be driven
It from forty to seventy miles per hour, and
verybody should know, that safe rate of speed
aries according to the place, traffic and weather
onditions. Ten miles an hour might be careless
irving while thirty would be safe speed under
ther conditions. There are plenty Of laws and
Ulcers to enforce the laws, but the fools sit
ing behind the steering wheels of automobiles
re not only numerous, but are increasing in
umber rapidly. It is time to devise some meth
d for protecting the public against destruction
nd suffering from this source-the results to
le fool drivers themselves is helpful, when one
them is killed. for public safety.