Evening star., 1931-11-29
A. A. A. BANS AID
|. TO "GUEST" RIDERS
Motoring Body Opposed to
New Transportation
Idea.

At its recent annual meeting here the
Advisory Committee on Touring of the
American Automobile Association unan-
imously adopted a resolution urging
member clubs of the A. A. A. not tc
lend aid to persons seeking transporta-
ton in privately-owned automobiles OF
to automobile owners seeking passengers
The resolution was adopted following
an extensive discussion of the growth OF
the guest suit racket, which has OF
late received an impetus from the &C
tivities of So-called travel bureaus
offering tc secure more or less free
transportation in private cars for per-
sons willing to pay fee to the bureau
Reasons Explained.
Explaining the reasons behind the ad-
monition to A. A. A. clubs, William G
Bryant of Detroit, Mich, chairman oi
the National Touring Board of the
A. A. A., said:
Motor clubs affiliated with the Amer
ican Automobile Association cannot af-
ford to be in any way connected with
practices that may aid racketeering in
guest suits and which may we'll in
volve violence to passengers carried in
strange cars, or to the owners of cars
carrying strange passengers.
Our clubs have as a matter Of pol
icy looked with diSfavor on the prac-
tice Of seeking transportation for people
or passengers for cars, but the tremen-
dous dimensions assumed by the guest
suit evil, the frequent instances OF
hold-ups and violence and the CONNER
ciallzing of the business of securing
transportation for strangers or passen-
gers for strange cars calls for even
greater caution on the part of our clubs
LAS a general rule, the statutes oi
the various States and the attitude OF
the courts is still such as to place the
driver or owner of car on the de-
fensive in damage suits arising out OF
accidents involving injuries to guests.
Action Of Eight States.
"To date eight States-namely, Cali
fornia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa
Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon and
Vermont-have taken legislative action
looking to the more specific determina-
tion and limitation of liability in ac-
c1dents involving guests or persons
transported free of charge. The laws
IN these States are generally to the
effect that no guest in a motor We
hicle shall have cause for action against
the owner or operator unless injuries
received shall have been intentional on
the part of the owner or caused by his
heedleSSness,' to quote the opinion of
the United States Supreme Court in
upholding the Connecticut law on own
er liability for injuries to guests.
The laws referred to have not pef-
haps been sufficiently long on the
statute books to permit definite infer
ences as to their effect in coping with
the guest suit evil. While the laws
should be extended to other States, the
important thing at the moment is that
motorists should realize the financial
hazard to which they are being SUBJ
jected.
Racket Abetted by Bureaus.
"The guest suit racket is abetted by
the large number of agencies and bu-
reaus with high-sounding names that
are engaged in the business of securing
transportation for passengers in private
cars and in aiding motorists to secure
passengers. Oftentimes these concerns
assume little responsibility and the mo-
toriSt who lends the use of his car to
turther their activities takes a double
chance. Not only does he face the pos
Slolllty OF suit for damages in case of
injury to mis- passenger, regardless of
the cause of the accident, but also the
oanger OF robbery or violence"