The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-08-19
With The
.AlibiArtists.
Clarity Needed in Traf-
fic Rules Wording to
Get Best Results
Motorists Confused by
Terms
b. DONALD McDOUGAL

The City Club Tribune adj
vances an idea which it believes
viii help to relieve Washington 8
traffic trouble.
The plan Is for all Washing
tonians to go to the extreme In
complying with every request and
every restriction imposed upon
us by the Traffic Director.
IL conditions fail to improve
after several months of excessive
traffic piety on the part all hands
motorists and pedestrians alike
then the best elements of the
community should get together
with the Director and change the
code
There are two weak points in
the scheme. as We see it. First,
not all WAshingtonians will go
the limit to comply with restrtc-
tions and requests-not all nor
anything like all. Half OF them
won't even hear about 1t. And
half of the other half won't be
able to 20 to extremes in com
plyinE with the restrictions put
on them. The pest they can
achieve is q Ianguid stab at obey.
ing the few that have been i'm
pressed upon their memory by
one means or another.
The second weak point in the
scheme as we see it Is that even
surprising it could be done, It's
unnecessary. There are certain
features Of the code that are
known now to need changing.
WHY wait several months before
starting to change them?
What's to be gained by going
out OF our way to comply for sew
eraI months longer with require
nnents that are seen to be un-
wise? Why not change them
now, and use all that traffic
piety to a good purpose, instead
OF wasting what little we haveY
There's no cooperation in the
code itself. The different para
graphs don't work together. In
stead of combining to shoe the
motoriat into paths Of traffic
rectftude, they pop UP here and
there Unexpectedly and break out
INTO No Trespassing signs.
The poor motorist is bewfdered.
He turns away from one and
finds himself backing into an
other.
Arain. there is a certain loose
ness In the wording Of the regula-
lions that does not inspire conf
dence. Mere wording may seem
an uniInportant thing, vet clear
ness and accuracy In stating the
law help enormously to bring
ahoIlf ohndfanoe
CIearness and accuracy OF state
ment are lacking in many or the
regulations in WashingtOn's traf-
fic code.
In section one. for instance, a
safety zone is defined as that
part OF the street indicated by
stanchions, by a platform, by
an official sign or by. painted
lines"
That undoubtedly includes cross
walks. vet under an amendment
recently published. q vehicle is
not allowed to enter a safety
zone whether the same be occu-
pied or not, so that anyone who
drives a vehicle over a Gloss
walk even when it's unoccupied,
lis guilty of an offense punishable
by a fine of $500.
Al childish criticism, you say
anyone has judgment enough to
know the law doesn't mean that.
But which is to guide us-the law
or our individual judgment?
The very purpose Of the law Is
to act al q substitute for our
individual judgment. Judgment
varies In different individuals,
and the law is the average judg-
ment of the whole community.
If it is not only right, but, as
! in this case, necessary to set the
individual judgment against the
! Nv, 1t may be fright in other
cases. How are we to know which
cases are TO be decided by our
individual ideas?
The law is plainly in error
when 1t tells US we cannot drive
over a cross-walk. May 1t not
be equally in error when ii says
stop at a boulevard?
The law doesn't mean that, I"
the motorist says to himself.
There's no car in sight on the
boulevard. It's foolish TO come
to a complete STOP"
He ran over the cresswalk,
well say. because. 1t looked fool
ish to stop there. He ran over
the stop" sign for the same
reason. It took a trip to court
and a five dollar fine to find out
that his judgment Is to be used
on some occasions and not on
others. But which is which?
The regulations must he so
worded that compliance with them
Is at all times possible, If drivers
are to have such respect for the
that they will obey the regula-
tons instead Of their own iudg.
ment-which means individual
within.
Let's clean the contradictions
and obscurfties out of the regula-
tions before we start any traffic
pfetV marathon.