Evening star., 1933-10-08
TRAFFIC REFORM
. CRUSADE BEGUN
Col. Baughman Heads Ameri.
can Association of Motor
Vehicle Administrators.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
DETROIT, October IA new force
in the crusade for vehicular trafiic re-
form with the aim Of reducing acci-
dents and promoting highway safety
has come into existence. It unites for
the first time on an international basis
officials intrusted with the administra-
of motor vehicle operation and regula-
ton.
Following preliminary meetings in
Detroit and Washington, an organiza-
ton to be known as the American Asso-
citation Of Motor Vehicle Administrators
was brought into permanent form at
Chicago a week ago. Present were
motor vehicle officials of 20 States Of
the Union and one province of Canada
Under the presidency Of Col. E. Aus
tin Baughman, Baltimore, Md, COM
missioner Of motor vehicles for Mary
land, this group has zoned the map Of
has outlined constructive program to
have Governmental authority behind It,
Accidents Again Increasing.
The action has been taken at time
when, according to statistics compiled
by the American Automobile Associa
ton, highway accidents again are on
the increase following drop during
1882. The increases have been shown
in the figures for June and July and
disclose 10 per cent jump in fatalities
the country over for the latter month
compared with one year ago.
The motor vehicle administrators
program calls for:
l. The promotion of reasonable and
uniform laws and regulations govern
ing registration, certificate of owner
ship, drivers licenses, equipment oper-
alton and taxation Of motor vehicles
2. Educational campaigns in the in
tersst Of public safety.
3. The promotion Of standard and
uniform practices Of enforcement by
police and judicial authorities of uni
form statutes.
4. The promotion Of reasonable re-
ciprocity laws and closer relationships
among the States Of the Union. the
District OF Columbia and the provinces
Of Canada, Mexico and other American
countries.
S. The promotion Of technical studies
Of the causes and prevention Of traffic
accidents.
g. Traffic and transport studies look
ing to the development Of traf1c con-
troll standards.
Z. Cooperation with the United
States Bureau of Public Roads. the Bu-
reau Of Standards and other similar
organizations, in studies relating to safe
and expeditions highway transport.
Under Col. Baughmans leadership,
furtherance Of the program will be
under the zone direction of four vice
presidents - George w. Wellington
Call Frazier Virginia) In region No. 2;
Orville E. Atwood (Michigan) region
No 3. and Russell Bevans california;
in region No. 4.
This group is supplemented by an
Executive Committee to consist Of the
ranking officers and five other men,
bers-L. P. Harris. North Carolina:
Richard Stickel, Pennsylvania; Frank
Finney, Indiana: A. w. Denny, Arkan-
sas. and j. p Bickell of Toronto, Can
representing Ontario.
Lew E. Wallace Of Des Moines, Iowa.
Is secretary and treasurer.
Our greatest problem is the ever
mounting motor vehicle death toll"
Sembly. Immediate action must be
taken to diminish this reckless snuff
ing out Of life.
I'VE should heed as an example, the
concerted effort Of nations to prevent
bloody and disastrous wars. It would
be inept to expect this conference to
hurry millennium, but we can try to
decrease substantially this civil earn
age
Roosevelt Approves Aims.
Federal approval Of the associations
aims was expressed in telegram from
President Roosevelt, which referred to
vehicle regulation as one Of todays
most perplexing problems.
Thomas H. Macdonald, chief Of the
United States Bureau of Public Roads,
sent a communication intimating that
plans are being made for another ma
tional conference on street and high