Evening star., 1932-02-14
.HE announcement of one OF
.he largest small-car man

~'IS 1dl SCSU l1loli
ufacturers in the Detroit
area anent his new model
now has the autom0tive world
by the ears.
What will be the effect of the
latest innovation of the Dear
born wizard of mass prediction
the interchangeable four and
eightcylinder motor on a stand
ard ehassiS-of course, remains to
be seen.
OF course, they all agree, Ford
has done it again.
But Just what has Mr., Ford
done?
1t all remains to be seen.
Whether the man who has
stood out in the autOmotive
world so long can buck the times
which have sorely tried every
other automobile manufacturer
in fact, every manufacturer OF
anything that is used by the
American public-iS a question
which every one is interestedly
waiting for the answer to. That
answer, of course, can only come
out in the test of time, in the test
of the confidence Of the Amerl-
can public, and as a result of fac
tors far too numerous to enumer-
ate.
Our own chief of police, Brig
Gen. Pelham d. Glassford, has in
tereSted himself the past week in
one of the most vital questions af-
fecting the local motoriSt, and if
his suggestions have any weight
with the chief offenders, motor
ing on the streets of the Capital
should be far more enjoyable in
the months to come than it has
been in the months gone by.
He has written the principal
taxicab firms of the city and sug-
gested a list of common COM
plants against practices of taxi
cab drivers, and asked the CO.
operation of the cab owners and
drivers to cooperate with the
police and the motorists of the
city in allaying some of the evils
of traffic here, which are directly
at the door of the cab drivers
Here are criticisms Of cab driving,
which need no further explaining:
81. A tendency on the part Of
many taxi drivers in obStructing
traffic by parking abreast for the
discharge or taxing on OF paSSen-
gers when curb space is nearby,
80. Suddenly stOnping in the
lane of moving traffic to pick up
a nTOSDePtlNp PASSENGER,
%. Weaving in and out Of lanes
of traffic for the purpose of get
ting ahead of traffic moving in
the proper lane.
- Driving to the left of the
center of the roadway, especially
at the approach of intersectinp
streets, in an effort to get ahead
of traffic waiting on the proper
signal.
-. Speeding at intersections to
cross before a change of signals
g. Starting at intersections
before the proper signal.
81. The unnecessary and OBJ
noXious use of horns when the
progress of the taxicab is delayed
by congested traffic or slow NOV
ing vehicles in front"
John P. Hall, director of the
Street and Highway Safety Divi-
sion of the National Bureau Of
Casualty and Surety Under
writers. has written an interest
ing article on periodical inSpec-
ton of all motor vehicles as ar
essential factor in the develop
ment of safety ON the streets and
highways of the Nation. He
further stresses such inspection as
an unemployment relief activity
which will give thousands tenn
porary jobs. The story is issued
through the National Conference
on Street and Highway Safety, of
which Robert P. Lamont, Secre-
tary of Commerce, is chairman
It follows:
There are hundreds of thou
sands of unsafe motor vehicles
operating upon our streets and
highways; these are menace 10
safe driving Because of the de-
preston many cars that would
in normal times have been traded
in for new ones have been kept
in operation. There is hardly d
day passes that you do not pick
up a newspaper and find that
human lives have been lost be-
cause of a truck or motor cal
having inadequate brakes. faulty
lights or defective steering mech
anism. Last year nearly "a 00f
men, women and children lost
their lives in motor vehicle aeei.
dents; approximately 1000, ,00f
were manned and injured. some
for life. This is a problem which
from the humanitarian standpoint
and the economic standpoint as
well. should arrest the attention
of State officials, city officials ana
all users of our streets and high
ways. An automobile that is not
under proper control or that il
not in first-class mechanical con-
dition as to its safety factors is
a death-dealing instrument. How
ever, it is not the automobile it.
self that is to blame, but the
operator who is willing to drive g
car that he knows is unsafe
Don't put off till tomorrow what
should be done today; have ynui
brakes fixed at once; keep your
car in condition.
"In recognition of proper equip
ment and systematic meehanlca,
inspections as important aids t.
traffic safatV the Committee or