Evening star., 1924-12-21

far more important than merely ap-
proved lens. Are we to have every
car in the city with headlights
switched on and binding every on
coming driver?
Light Rules PerplexinE.
AS mentioned before, there is more
to the matter than that. The States
with model laws. regulating height
focus, tilt and distance. as we'll as
lens, have emphatica'ly not been
able to cure large percentage of
dazzling lights on automobiles.
There are not enough policemen In
the world properly 90 check up on
every motorist in every State every
time he takes his car out, because
a 50-mi e ride will, at times. disturb
the most perfect focus and light ad-
justment
This provision should be entirely
rewritten, according to traffic ex-
perts. 1t should contain ali the ideas
on light regulation learned by motor
experts ia the various States. and
the committee should look thorough
~ into the no-dimming edict when
experience has shown that no mat
ter how tight the law a tremendous
percentage Of motorists will still
have dazzling lights. 1T will then
come down to the question of which
Is worse, inadequate street lights or
dazzling headlights. There are many
who Will concede that it will be the
latter.
Would Have Check on Repairs.
1t is generally admitted that a reg
ulation compelling garage and serv-
ice men to report to the police when
a car which shows evidence of having
been in a collision is turneu o,u4 :,
them for repair is good one. This
measure viii enable the police to
check up on the "hit-and-run'
fraternity.
Operation of a pound for motor cars
will probably abate the parking
nuisance 10 some extent, but diff
culties are bound to follow IL the po-
lice are allowed to tow every car
parked overtime to a pound. In the
first place there are not enough au-
tomoblles in the department for this
work: in the second, injury to cars
may result with no redress for the
owner, and thirdly. the traffic jams
caused by large number of these
Stowaways will be serious.
The impounding Idea for cars 10
all right, but they should be impound-
ed on the spot where the crime is
committed and the owner forced to
go to a precinct station for his re-
lease. This can be done by provid-
ing the police with some kind of auto
lock which Will prevent moving the
car before the release 81 obtained. AL
though this plan may keep the cars
in parking spaces longer time, there
is no motorist who will relish the
idea of walking several blocks to a
precinct station and II will make him
do bit of thinking before he violates
the law again.
Complaint Card Objections.
The citizen complaint card idea was
tried out by the motor corps which
was in operation in Washington for
many years. 1t was not conspicu-
ously successful and led to many ar
guments. 1t might work well If linn
tied to only a few men, but the ques-
tion of having to go into court as a
witness for conviction has destroyed
its efficiency.
The committee, in framing this
model traffic law, should look beyond
the mere rules governing traffic, it is
agreed. 1t should seek to find out
just why Washington is admittedly
weak in modern traffic regulations
and their enforcement.
This is the reason, according to
those who have carefully studied the
question. Washington is woefully
undermanned in its Police Depart
ment and a thousand and one laws
may be enacted with no improvement
in the situation. To enforce the
traffic laws Washington must have
the proper number of policemen.
These policemen must be adequately
equipped and they must be mobile.
OF what use are footmen to chase
speeding cars? or what use are
antiquated motor cycles. many of
which saw service in France, for the