Evening star., 1934-03-18

already IN eHecC IN Il OCaIeS,
Virginia, is briefly this:
In the Senate the safety-respon-
sibility bill, introduced by Senator
Arthur Capper of Kansas, has been
favorably received by members of the
District Committee and referred to
the District Commissioners for COM
ment. 1t is anticipated that they
will act promptly and favorably,
William A. Van Duzer traffic director,
recently appeared at the Capitol and
voiced his wholehearted approval.
III the House hearings before the
Subcommittee on Streets and Traffic
of the House District Committee on
the hill introduced by Representative
Clarence J. Mcleod of Michigan, SINH
lar to the Capper bill, developed wide
spread sentiment in its favor. AS a
result, the bill is expected to be ap-
proved and shortly reported to the
House.
Passed House Before.
In this connection il might be
pointed out that a Safety-reSponSi
bility bill was passed by the House
during the Seventy-second Congress,
but failed to pass the Senate. Had
the measure come to a vote in the
Senate, it would undoubtedly have
passed, but it came up on the unami
nous consent calendar and the OBJ
lection of a single Senator was Suf-
ficient for its defeat.
Seldom has any legislation for the
District of Columbia received such
united support as is being placed be-
hind the safety-responsibility bill.
Virtually all civic groups, including
citizens associations and trade Or
ganizations, have given their unquali
fled support to the pending Mcleod
Capper bills and urged that Congress
act quickly in the effort to improve
the accident situation in Washington.
What would be the effect of this
law? This question is often raised
and it can be answered. 1t would
mean that approximately $50 reckless
and financially irresponsible operators
of motor vehicleS-roughly one out of
three arrested annually for driving
while intoxicated or leaving the scene
of an accident where there was a per-
Sonal injury-would be prohibited
from using the streets of the District
of Columbia. This estimate is based
on results secured elsewhere under
similar legislation.
If that experience held true in the
National Capital, approximately TOO
operators would have their licenses
and permits withdrawn each year as
a result of conviction for driving
while intoxicated or fleeing the scene
of a personal---very. accident. OF the
TOO, about $50 would regain their
driving privileges by proving their
financial responsibility for future acci-
denrs they may cause. The remaining
450 would be denied the privilege of
using the streets. Surely it is a great
achievement in the interest of safety
when without injustice or penalty on
the careful the proven reckless who
have themselves to blame for their
loss of driving privileges can be
ruled off the road" No doubt they
are better off the road than on it.
First Offered in 1928.
The Safety-reSponSibility law was
first offered to the country in Deem
ber, 1923, after Nationwide investi-
CATION and considerable study by a
special A. A. A. committee on safety
responsibility. The purpose was to
give the country a model bill with
three primary objectives.
First-To provide an incentive for
careful and safe driving and to con-
troll or eliminate the reckless and ire
spOnsible operator.
Second-To compel those drivers
who have demonstrated their reck-
leSSness to establish evidence of finan-
cial responsibility for the future as
q prerequisite to their regaining the
privilege of driving.
Third-To furnish an incentive for
payment of otherwise uncol1ectible
judgments arising from automobile
accidents.
The American Automobile Associa-
ton has repeatedly gone on record
in opposition to compulsory automo-
bile liability insurance as advocated
in the United States in recent years
This opposition is based on the belief
lnoW confirmed by the experience of
Massachusetts, that this and similar
proposals of a blanket compulsory
character are manifeStly unfair in
theory in that they penalize all mo-
torists for the shortcomings of the
minority; and furthermore, that from
q practical standpoint they lack effec-
tiveness as safety measures and in
fate the cost of accidents to that
element of the motoring public least
responsibility for them; that is, the
great majority of careful and law
abiding drivers.
The A. A. A. is correct in its safety
campaign. May the Commissioners
and Congress give immediate approval.
Auto Situation Reversed.
A novel situation exists in the
sutomotive industry, according to As
sociated Press reports. Charting a
safe course through a period of re-
stricted buyer demand that lasted
more than three years may have had
its worrisome problems for the lead
ers Of the automobile industry, but
they have found that even waiting
market of steadily accumulating con-
sumer demand can also have its prob
lens that cannot be solved over night.
A few years ago the difficulty facing
the industry was to level production
off to consumer demand and avoid a
stocking up of cars that would bring
an inevitable suspension of opera
tions entirely. Now there has been
a complete reversal of this situation
and the industry finds it cannot step
production up to retail demand.
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