Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-22
New York and New Jersey in Line

When Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt OF
New York affixed his signature to the
Fearon-Stone financial responsibility
bill Friday before he cleared his
desk to begin a short vacation, ii
marked the second State to enact into
law the principles of the safety re-
sponsibility bill as laid down by the
American Automobile Association. New
Jersey is the other State which has
acted upon the proposal Of the A. A. A.
to remove from the road the reckless
and financially irresponsible motor car
operator, and with these two States in
line the movement which seeks to end
an ever-growing motoring problem
should gain tremendous momentum.
The safety responsibility bill, from
which the measures passed in New York
and New Jersey are modelled, has most
Of the advantages and none of the dis
advantages of the compulsory insurance
law now in effect in Massachusetts,. 1t
does not penalize the careful motorist.
1t does. however, make the going Diff
ficult for the driver who combines ir-
responsibility in the operation Of his
car with financial responsibility, or
who is that type known as judgment
proof. 1t provides simply that upon
conviction of major traffic offenses a
motorist must give proof of his ability
to respond thereafter to damages re-
sulting from his ownership or opera
ton of a motor vehicle in order to re-
tain his license. And it further pro-
vides that after an accident in which
personal injury or death occurs he must
satisfy final judgments against him up
to five thousand dollars for one per-
son, ten thousand dollars for two per-
sons in the same accident, and one
thousand dollars for property damage,
If he wishes to keep his operators per-
NIT.
In other words, every driver in the
beginning is given a clean bill Of
health. If he operates his car prop
erly he will never feel the effects of
the safety responsibility bill. He need
not carry insurance and he need not
show in any way that he is capable of
paying for accidents which arise from
his negligent driving. But the minute
he shows an inclination to recklessness
and iS cnnvinfod k,xy a co,,rk 80 =. .~..;.-
traffic cffense, regardless Of whether he
has been in an accident, the law steps
in and requires him to post a bond.
take out insurance or put up collateral
to a limit of eleven thousand dollars to
prove that from that time on he is
prepared to pay for damages he may
cause.
That is one section of the law. The
other compels motorists to satisfy the
final judgments against them in courts
of competent jurisdiction. Many driv-
ers are known as judgment-proof. They
have been involved in accidents and the
victims have been unable to collect a
cent. In the future, in New Jersey and
New York, these judgment-proof motor
lists will feel the heavy hand of this
statute. Failure to satisfy a levy will
mean the suspension Of. their. permit.
and they cannot drive again until the
judgment has been met.
It can be seen, therefore, that. the
safety responsibility bill is frankly di-
rected at the small minority of reck-
less and irresponsible motor vehicle
operators to whom are chargeable the
mounting toll Of loss of life and injuries
to persons and property. The motoring
world can afford to harbor no longer
the dangerous and insolvent automobile
driver. Careful and considerable opera
ton of potentially dangerous vehicle
is the universal need of this country,
and the measure of the American
Automobile Association will do much
to bring about this desirable condition
Washington, the National Capital,
will do well to follow the lead, at the
first opportunity. Of such centers of
motoring population as New York and
New Jersey. The sooner that every
State, including the District Of Column
bia, sets about to end the menace of
those who have proven themselves UNI
fit to enjoy the privileges of the road,
the sooner will the mounting list Of in
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