Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-14
TRAFFIC REFORM FOR MOTOR
VEHICLES HELD URGENT NEED
Education Association President States
That l Didn't Mean to Do 1t"
Is Poorest of Excuses.

must De awakened ana he held strictly
accountable for what his car does while
he is driving it. No other kind of regu-
lation, education or enforcement will
reach this problem.
The National Conference on Street
and Highway Safety at Washington has
taken firm stand for licensing drivers
by driving test and by examination on
regulations before they are permitted to
enter upon the streets and roads with a
vehicle. The conference has likewise
urged strong enforcement Of traffic laws
and regulations and sure and even
handed punishment of violators.
Prospective drivers should demonstrate
and public trafiic authorities should by
law ascertain that they are competent
and fitted to operate vehicles with safety
and due regard for the rights and lives
OF others before they are permitted to
enter upon the streets and roads.
Planned at Restriction.
The drivers license measure Of the
conference, which has been drafted as
a pattern for legislation of this char
acter by all of the States, is aimed to
restrict the use of the streets and high
ways to vehicle operators who will ex-
ercise caution and care and whose pres
ence Will not be a menace and a danger
other vehicles.
The careful driver. who Is in the
overwhelming majority among drivers, is
the salvation of traffic today. Improve
ment Will come when the small minority
OF reckless and incompetent drivers are
kept from the highways and punish
ment Of drivers who disregard the re-
sponslbility that rests upon them Is sure
and certain
Mothers of this country, who only too
often see the traffic problem in the light
of personal tragedy, have a different
perspective OF 1t. Not only are they
eager to see it solved, but they are more
Impatient with evasions and half meas
ures that do not adequately meet the
situation or remedy the condition.
What pain and suffering, sorrow and
distress come to some of these mothers
when member Of their family, a child
or possibly the husband who is the bread
winner, is struck down in a traffic acct
dent-all too frequently by thought
less, selfish driver who violated some
rule of safe driving. An automobile is
q dangerous weapon In the hands of a
careless person.
When approaching children on the
street or road the motorist should al
ways be on the alert and assume that
they may tmpetuously run into the path
of his car.
Parents and teachers should do all in
their power to teach the child the peril
OF heedlesSly running into the path Of
traftic. But no responsibility that may
rest upon parents or teachers or uDon
children in this respect can tighten the
OBJ. cation that rests upon every vehicle
driver TO exercise caution and keep his
car under control
A child may rush into the path Of an
automobile and give the driver an op-
portunity to say that the accident was
unavoidable. But thoughtleSsness in a
child can be more readily forgiven than
in an automobile driver The motortst
who fails to keep his car under control
IN anticipation Of an accident Is more
guilty than the child who does not think
Of danger.
Duty of Drivers.
1t is the duty of drivers to give con-
sheraton to the impulsive and imma-
lure Judgment OF children and to safe
guard them from danger.
While there are many accidents where
shows the motorist to be
blameleSS. the action of vehicle oper-
ator In striking child should not at
any time be regarded too lightly. His
Is the responsibility of careful driving
and protecting those whom his vehicle
may harm. And an equal responsibility
rests upon each of the States to see that
the highways are used only by drivers
who fulfill this requirement and meas
ure up to this standard.
Too often accident prevention and
safety measures are left by the commu-
nifty TO safety committee or q safety
official, and all too often accident-pre-
vention campaigns are directed only at
pedestrians or allowed TO deteriorate
into mere attacks upon jay-walkers
Only 81 per cent of the traffic deaths
IN this country last year involved a pc
deStrian, and yet every one of them in
VolVed a vehicle operator. Furthermore,
46.7 per Gent of the persons killed were
either children under is years of age
or persons OF SIS years or more. Such |
persons cannot be expected to protect |
themselves from the hazards of traffic |
simply by pedestrian education or reEu- |
lation.
The high degree of care necessary to
the safe operation of an automobile is
recognized only by some individuals, but |
not by communities in general.
The communities are not insiStent |
That each driver that is permitted by |
the State TO use the streets and roads |
snail be safe driver and shall be al |
lowed to operate vehicle only when he |
has demonstrated his fitness, both phys
cally and from a knowledge of traffic
rules and regulations, to use the streets |
With safety to himself and to others.
Finding Of Connecticut.
The Department of Motor Vehicles of
Connecticut finds that last year in that
State there was no decrease in the seri-
BUS results OF accidents, The same