Evening star., 1936-04-24
Dangerous TOmfOOlery.

What is the matter with traffic en-
forcement in Washington?
The Zioncheck farce and the proposed
Mussolinian edict against blowing of au-
tomobile horns for any purpose what
ever" between II o'clock at night and
o'clock in the morning may seem as far
apart as the poles.
AS matter of fact, both are cut from
the same cloth. Each furnishes dis
heartening commentary on the Sensa-
tional but ineffective sort of fooling
around with the grave problem OF traffic
regulation that serves efficiently in break
ing down respect for law but accom-
plishing nothing else.
Reckless driving is defined as driving
"carelessly and heedlessly in wilful or
vanton disregard of the rights or safety
of others, or without due caution and
circumspection and at a speed or in any
manner so as to endanger or be likely
to endanger any person or property"
1t is a serious offense. But recently the
offense of speeding at more than thirty
five miles an hour has brought, in addi-
tion to heavy fines, suspension Of drivers
permits. In the case of some poor nobody
who drives a car for living that means
loss of a livelihood.
Representative Zioncheck, pleading
guilty to the charge of going seventy
miles an hour on Connecticut avenue, is
finally brought into court, after cutting
up more monkeyshines than one could
find in a month of Sundays at the Zoo,
gets slap on the wrist in the form of
S25 fine for speeding and $40 fine for
contempt of court.
Why was he not charged with reckless
driving? Why was he not handed as
stiff penalty as the common, ordinary
citizen brought into court under the same
circumstances? Is member OF Con-
gress, speeding through city streets at
seventy miles an hour, less apt to kill
and MAIN people than somebody else?
Are members of Congress clothed with
some special immunity in the matter of
traffic accidents? Do the local author
tiles seriously contend that they are
powerless to deprive out-of-town drivers,
found guilty of violating the regulations,
of the privilege of driving in the Dis
trict? Is Representative Zioncheck a
resident of the State of Washington, or
is he resident, during the sessions OF
Congress- of the District of Columbia?
And the horn-blowing menace? Some
body with yen for publicity at the Dis
trict Building decides it would be good
thing to threaten to slap a heavy fine
and maybe a Jail sentence on anybody
who blows an automobile horn during
the forbidden hours. Somebody wants
to clutter up the statute books with an
other meaningless regulation that will
never be enforced-unless somebody else
with yen for publicity yanks defense
less citizen into court and gets him fined
as another publicity stunt.
The proposed horn-blowing regulation
Is lot of nonsense. A regulation is
already on the books preventing the use
less and unnecessary blowing of horns
any time of day. Has anybody ever been
brought into court for violation of that
regulation?
If the Commissioners want to abate
noise, which is, indeed, most desirable,
and get after the noisy and empty-pated
horn-blowers who make city life misery
at all hours of the day, why write an
other regulation? Why not get after
them and bring few of them into court?