Evening star., 1932-02-07
SAFETY RESPONSIBILITY LAW
MEETS FAVOR IN CANADA
Ontario Workings of Bill Now Before
US. Congress Held Satisfactory by
Insurance Superintendent.

80 much for the suspension Of Ii
censes and permits and the withdrawal
Of driving privileges Of Ontario motor
lists. How many Of these 4,35l Ontario
motorists who lost their driving privi-
leges by reason Of convictions under the
highway traffic act have regatned them
by proving their financial responsibility
for future accidents? The answer Is
1912, And in every case financial re-
sponsibility has been proved by the
filing Of certificate that there has been
issued to the motorist an approved mo-
tor vehicle liability policy. In not one
solitary case has a motorist taken the
option Of depositing cash or securities
with the provincial treasurer or a surety
bond issued by a guarantee company or
executed by two personal sureties.
OFF the Road
"One thousand, six hundred and
forty-two motorists regained their Ii
censes by proving their financial re-
sponSibility. What has happened to the
other 2709 motorists? Allowing for a
small number whose period Of suspen-
sion may not have elapsed at December
81 1881, it is evident that upward Of
$500 Ontario motorists who have been
convicted for offenses against public
safety on the highways are off the
road Surely this is great achieve
ment. accomplished without injustice
or penahzing the careful in order to get
at the careless mOtOriSt. Two thousand
five hundred motorists have only them
selves TO blame for their loss Of driving
privileges. and no doubt are better of
the road than on it.
Only two Of the Ontario motorists
who lost their driving privileges by rea-
son Of failure to pay civil judgment
have paid the judgment and proved
their financial responsibility for the
future, which indicates that at. least 80
financially irresponsible motorists are
no longer driving on our highways to
the prejudice of the motoring public.
"SiXty-fiVe automobile f1eet-oWning
employers have proved their financial
responsibility for all cars owned By
them in order to relieve the suspension
Of an employe convicted for an offense
under the highway traffic act while
driving his employers car and not
owning a motor vehicle Of his own.
Some Of these fleets number more than
100 cars, so that upward Of 5000 motor
lists may be said to have filed proof Of
their financial responsibility with the
registrar.
Interesting SideIight.
"An interesting sidelight arises out
of an inquiry as to the number Of mo-
torists who insured for the first tine
upon being required to prove their
financial responsibility. A test check
Of the files of 100 such motorists shows
that 50 Of the 100 bought automobile
liability insurance in order to prove
their financial responsibility. These
figures indicate that about 10 per cent
CT these motorists would today not be
insured and probably would not be
financially responsible were it not for
the financial responsibility law
Turn to the application Of the law
to nonresident motorists. The pres
ence on our highways annually of mil
lions of automobile tourists from the
United States emphasizes the impor-
tance of the reciprocal features Of the
law and how it operates to solve the
problem of the foreign car, the Gis-
cipline Of the tourist and the likelihood
of a victim Of his negligence recovering
compensation. The United States are
even more interested in the problem
represented by upward Of three quar-
ters Of a million Canadian cars being On
their highways annually. because al
though the volume of traffic from Can
ada is naturally not as large as the
volume from the United States reports
from the bureau Of statistics indicate
that on the basis Of motor car regis
tratiCns three times as many Canadians
tour in the United States each year as
! Americans tour in Canada"