The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1929-03-13


lion people and property dan
millions of dollars.
Motor vehicle law has as a ma Jor
purpose, safeguarding life and prop
erty by the regulation, discipline
and education OF operators. The
National Conference on Street and
Highway Safety consequently re
garded the drivers license act as
the one providing its proposed Uni.
form Code for States with teeth.
a drivers license law, with ex.
animation of new drivers, properly
administered by q centralized de-
partment chat of the State vehicle
commissioner or department, ere.
ated by the first act Of the Uniform
Code) may be expected to have a
material effect on motor vehicle
fatalities.
Still On Increase
The seriousness of. the traffic
problem is shown in the fact that
even in the states that have gone
farthest toward a solution OF the
problem, traffic fatalities are still
on the increase.
Nevertheless, as compared with
States not having license law with
mandatory examination, those hav-
ing such law show 20 per cent
better showing since the passage OF
the law, according to study made
by statisticians of the National
Safety Council.
Such a law was the ideal OF the
National Conference and in the
framework constructed for the bene-
fit and guidance of the States, the
following salient points are found:
No person shall drive a motor We
l1icIe on a highway unless licensed
by the State vehicle department.,
except those driving road or farm
or operating on official
vehicle Of the United States Army
or Navy.
home, are exempt: il corning from
q non.license State. they may drive
their own cars for 80 days.
Must Drive Year
License is not issued to persons
under is. or chauffeurs' licenses to
persons under Is: nor to habitual
drug addicts, the insane
ar feeble.minded, those unable to
understand signs in English, and
those afflicted with such physical
or mental disability or disease as
to prevent reasonable control over
a motor vehicle. :.
When the law is first enacted. all
persons who have driven for one
vass sSe Without an unfavorable record
nj obtain a license within three
months on written application. put
without examination.
Thereafter. every new driver must
first obtain temporary instruction
permit, good for a limited period
when accompanied by a hcensed
operator. then, within SO days. I'LL
out an application for license and
pass the examination which includes
a brief oral test on the rules OF the
road and a demonstration Of driving
ability.
The commissioner may require re-
licensing not more than once every
three years, Chauffeurs' licenses
must be renewed annually.
All courts shall report to the State
vehicle department all convictions
for violations of motor-vehicle laws
and may recommend suspension OF
license. The department must re.
yoke licenses in case of manslaughter
in operation of a motor vehicle
driving under influence of liquor or
drug, perjury in connection with the
motor-vehicle laws. conviction OF
reckless driving three times. in a
year. failure to stop after an acct.
dent, any felony in which a motor
vehicle was used.
May Ask Hearing
The department. may suspend a
license If it believes that one Of the
aforementioned offenseS has been
committed; that the driver has
reckfessly, or unlawfully contributed
to an accident: or that he is incom.
petent to drive q motor vehicle. or
is an habitually reckless or negligent
driver. The department may suspend
or revoke the license for similar
offense committed in any other
State.
Any person whose license has
been suspended is permitted hear.
ing before the department, and any
person denied a license or whose
license has been revoked may ap.
peal to the courts.
The applications Of minors under
Is must be signed by the parent
or guardian or employer, who then
becomes liable for any negligence
in driving by such minor. EN-
ployers Of minors under Is who
permit them to drive and persons
who furnish. motor vehicles to such
minors are likewise liable.
AS a general proposition it is in
the Northeastern States, where the
problem has = been of
longest standing, that the drivers
license system has become a we'll
developed institution. Here the
need for cooperation among motor
vehicle departments became evident
several years ago and resulted in
the formation of an Eastern confer
ence of motor vehicle adminisura.
tors. ~
Public for 1t
A member of this conference re-
Gently said:
Since we began to examine all
applicants we have had the general
public solidly behind US favoring
the stricter methods of issuing
licenses"
Operators licenses serve as iden-
tification tags for individual drivers
lust as registration plates do for
cars and trucks. Among other
things they serve to eliminate un-
certainty in the record system. This
system shows which operators are
habitual violators and makes it pos