The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-04
TRAFFIC DRIVE
RENEWED AFTER
CRASH KILLS SIX
Law Officials of City and
State Ready to Push
Campaign.
SPEEDERS ARE WARNED
Municipal Judges Promise
Heavy Penalties for
Traffic VioIators.

Leaders in the war on
traffic accidents today re-
newed their offensive, and
planned drastic revisions in
driving practices on the i'm
petus of the single wreck last
night that took six lives and
may take a seventh.
Chief Morrissey issued orders to
all traffic officers that they are to
enforce ordinances and laws to the
letter.
Donald F. Silver, state safety
director, ordered state police to
clamp down on speeders, even more
sternly than in the past if possible.
Capt. Lewis L. johnson, head Of
the police safety division, advo-
Gated abandoning the rules now
operative in four channel traffic
in favor of the four-lane system
in use on National-rd and other
state highways.
Municipal judges promised to
hand stern justice to speeders and
traffic law violators who are appre-
! hended and are convicted in their
courts.
Urges Annual Test
Reginal H. Sullivan, former MAYOR
and head of the Marion County
safety committee, said:
Its horrible beyond words. II
we hope to end such tragedies we
should test every driver and every
car at least once yearly, if not more
often. The drivers right to sit at
the wheel of a car should be tested
first and then the condition of the
car he drives should be inspected"
Mr.. Silver, after terming the &C.
+, cident as terrible" said that dur.
ing the last week, while driving on
State Road Al, south of Terre
Haute, that he and Maj. Claude
Crooks, State Police Board presi-
dent, narrowly escaped a similar
fate when their automobile almost
crashed head-on with another car.
Lesson to Drivers.
The other fellow started to pass
truck on curve. He saw us. He
was travelling at an excessive rate
Of speed and ran into a ditch to
avoid striking us. BY the time we
backed up our car the speeding
driver had left the ditch and was
gone" Mr.. Silver said.
Accidents similar to the one that
occurred here should teach the pub
| lie the necessity for sane and care
full driving" he said. He ordered
stringent clamp on speeding.
Chief Morrissey declared that
immediate orders had been sent
to police to enforce strictly the
traffic laws.
AFTER inspecting the terrible
wreck am more determined than
ever to enforce the traffic laws
within the city," he said.
Worst Accident Since 1927
Capt. johnson recalled that last
nights accident was the worst on
the highways in the county since
Oct. ID, 1927, when twenty persons.
all members of the Sahara Grotto,
were killed in a wreck at 21st-st and
Emerson-av.
Hurry and carelessness play an
important part in all accidents Re-
CARELESS of how wide you build high
ways, for nigh-speed traffic" he con-
tinued, "it seems you can't prevent
accidents. Drivers must take some Of
the responsibility On themselves"
Capt. Johnson said he favored
divided traffic lanes instead of the
four-way drive now in effect on the
National-rd and other highways in
the state.
Urges Education Of Public
1--WE have had concerted traffic
drives" commented Municipal Judge
Charles j. Karabell, for several.
months and done all we can to get
enforcement and now I think the
! next step Is education of the
public.
"a large segment of the motor
llS -PuUllC are very SeulSQ WI1Su
they drive. They have no regard
for life or property" he declared.
He pointed to numerous traffic
cases brought into his court of
speeding and weaving in and out Of
traffic lanes on N. Meridian-st as
showing the self1shness of many mo-
florists.
Judge Promises Aid
I'm the last few days I have sent
two men to the Indiana State Farm
for speeding on the same stretch Of
highway where this accident oc-
Cured" Judge Karaben said.
Motorists attaining speed above
40 miles an hour are threatened
with fines by Municipal Judge
Dewey E. Myers.
II have been hitting traffic vio-
lators pretty hard. If they're above
40 miles-they are in trouble-and
above so miles an hour-weil, that's
just too bad" he concluded.