Evening star., 1932-12-01
AUTO VIOLATIONS
STUDY REPORTED
Van Duzer Holds Something
Is Wrong With Rule If Most
Drivers Break 1t.

Declaring that ''there Is probably
something wrong" with any traffic
regulation that "is continually violated
by most Of the drivers" William A. Van
Duzer. director of vehicles and traffic
here. today outlined the findings thus
far detained in a local study designed
to see what regulations are obeyed and
what are violated, and by what percent
age Of drivers.
Mr.. Van Duzer was speaking before
the session on traffic and transporta-
ton at the annual meeting Of the High
way Research Board, Division Of Engi-
neering and Industrial Research, Ma
tional Research Council, which started
today. He Is chairman OF the Com
mittee on Traffic.
In general, Mr.. Van Duser said, 1t was
shown that about 80 per cent OF the
drivers abide by the rules, with tbs
other Is causing trouble.
Right Of Way Important.
High up on the list Of accident sources
he placed failure to yield right OF way
saying that between and 13 per cent
of the drivers fail to give way to Other
drivers or pedestrians. Other corrective
measures failing, he declared that tt
eliminate this type of driver 1t may
become necessary to revoke the license
of an offender when culpabilfty for ar
accident is determined.
Another dangerous practice to which
he pointed is entering late on tht
amber signal or on the red signal al
controlled Intersections.
In a six-hour period at the four In
tersections-Seventh and Ninth street:
and New York and Massachusetts ave-
nues, 800 drivers came in so late on tfls
amber that they went out on red ane
ITO went in on red.
while the total Is only about PEE
cent Of the total traffic." Van Duzel
said, at constitutes 479 cases Of poten.
tial accidents during six-hour perioe
of observation on only four intersec-
tions."
Stop Signs Ignored.
Another source of danger to which hi
pointed Is that of entering a stol
street without due care. A check ,ol
1.184 cars coming into streets guarded
by a stop sign showed 526, or A pei
cent. made a complete stop; 373, or 8.
per cent. made a partial stop under
control, and 285, or "a per cent. did moi
stop.
This. Van Duzer said, meant that x
per cent OF the drivers were careful anc
"a per cent were potential trouble
makers, and led to question as tt
whether it might not be advisable K
replace stop signs on arterial highway.
and streets with such signs, for instance
as Caution-Through Traffic"
when Sc per cent Of the drivers dis.
obey a stop sign, Is such sign deslr'
able?" he asked. 1.-THE A per cent O
the drivers who made complete stoI
would obey caution sign. The 80 PEE
cent who made partial stop Woule
continue SO with a caution sign ant
would not be breaking the law, as the.
now are. The "a per cent who pay NJ
attention to a stop sign will not stol
for any other sign short OF the traffic
officers whistle"
Lights Obeyed Better.
At light controlled Intersections, Mr.
Van Duzer said, IS per cent of 12,00(
drivers checked were following the regu
lations, while at uncontrolled intersec
tions 70 per cent Of 5000 were obeyint
the code.
At the former the violators wer,
checked on exceeding speed limit, fail
! ing to give right of way, cutting cor
ner, driving through safety zone, turn
| ing from wrong lane, driving on LEI
| of center line, entering on amber, en-
| tering on amber-green and leaving OF
red, and entering on red AT the latte
this same list of violations, exclusive 0
those, of course, involving lights, wa
checked, and one was added-passlnl
car in intersection.
For uncontrolled street data tn
check was made at Fourteenth and FIJI
teenth streets and Constitution avenu
and Fifteenth and Z streets.
| A special study Of vehicle speeds ol
| typical streets showed little tendency t
exceed the 22-mile-per-hour speed hml
| on two secondary streets checked-La
/ nier place between Adams Mill roa'
and ontario road, and Holmead plac
/ at Monroe street.
Would Weed Out Dangerous Drivers.
| However, on seven out Of eight arte
| rial streets in the Northwest section
guarded by stop signs, where the sam
speed limit prevails, 70 to 81 per cen
| of the drivers observed were maxim
from 25 to 20 miles, A 30-mile limi
here, Van Duzer told his audience
would allow police to concentrate thei
| efforts on those going over that mark
who constitute small minority.
This, he amplified, would tend 7
weed out the dangerous" drivers.
On wisconsin avenue, where the limi
is 30, he said the average speed Is &c
with AZ per cent exceeding tha
figure and only IA per cent goin
over IS.