Evening star., 1928-12-30
SAFETY TREND AMONG DRIVERS
OF u. S. REPORTED GAINING
Optimism Over Movement Expressed by
Auto Association Head-Note of
Warming Sounded, However.

Optimism regarding the future of the
movement for national traffic safety in
the United States was expressed in a
statement broadcast from the national
headquarters of the American Automo-
bile Association.
The A. A. A. statement, issued under
the signature of Thomas P. Henry,
president of the national motoring body.
coupled strong note of warning with
its recital of favorable trends and ten
denotes in the field of traffic safety
THE safety movement in 1925" he
said, disclosed unmiStakable and tam
gible signs of progress, but we must be
everlastingly conscious of the fact that
the roll call of injuries and accidents
continues to be an imperative challenge
to our vaunted sense of civic RESPONSE
bility, to our inventive and engineering
skill, and to the educational institu-
tionS which are doing SO much to make
the new generation Safety-minded."
Survey Is Summarized.
Summarizing a Nationwide survey
of safety activities. Mr. Henry declared
that the cooperative effort so notice.
able in 1928 had been particularly man.
ifested in the attention devoted
to the education of all classes in
safety principles; in the stricter en-
forcement of reasonable regulations; in
the Strlcter penalties meted out by the
courts to the reckless and intoxicated
driver, and in the widespread sentiment
in favor Of the national uniform motor
vehicle code and the municipal traffic
ordinance. He continued:
THE last few weeks of the year
brought two events which added mate
rally to the momentum of safety prog
resS during the year. / refer to the
framing of the A. A. A. safety response
bility law, designed to put the reckless
and irresponsible driver off the high
ways and to promote the payment of
judgments. 1t now looks as if this pro-
pOsal will meet with a unique degree of
national approval. The same is true of
a second recent development, namely
the PRONUNCIATION of the report of the
Standardization committee of the Amer
lean Engineering Council on uniform
signs, signals and street marking. The
adoption of these recommendations
should accomplish great deal in max
ing the Nation sign-conscious.
Codes Progress Slow.
'The uniform motor-vehicle code, de-
veloped by the Hoover conference on
street and highway safety, while admit
tedly one of the greatest safety meas
urcS ever drafted, was slow in gather
ing momentum. This was largely due
to the complexity of traffic codes
throughout the country, coupled with
State and local pride in existing codes
There is every indication, however, that
uniformity will not be denied, and in
the immediate months ahead / look
for widespread adoption of the code
One of the big factors in achieving this
is the close cooperation and harmony
with which the organizations forming
the Hoover conference have worked in
1928 in the national and local fields.
There is one feature of the code
which is. in my opinion, all-important
and which appears to be gaining adher-
ents at a gratifying rate. I have in
mind the provision for a drivers IL
cense law. now lacking in some 30
States. and which Is absolutely neces-
sary for the exercise of the requisite
measure of control over operators The
growing demand for a drivers license
law as result of our intensive educa-
tional campaign last year will in all
probability be reflected in action by
many of the Legislatures this Winter
While Pennsylvania is the only State
that has enacted the code in its en-
tirety, 13 States have adopted substan-
tial portions of it. We cannot rest on
this. We must accelerate action.
Demand for Uniformity.
Nowhere Is the demand for uniform
ity greater than in our cities. The year
brought an important development for
the solution of the problem in this field.
namely, the municipal traffic ordinance.
The ordinance must be regarded equally
as important as the motor vehicle code.
Because of the drive made in support
of it by scores of A. A. A. motor clubs
throughout the country. public senti-
ment has been concentrated on its ur-
gency. and it is to be hoped that the
concentration effected in 1928 will de-
velop into concrete action on wide
scale in 1929.
Contrary to what might have been
expected in the United States. our cities
were slow in realizing the Importance
of the physical factor in traffic hazards.
Until year or two ago very little atten-
ton had been given to the improve
ment of physical conditions affecting
traffic in our cities, such. for instance,