Evening star., 1936-07-05

The delegates will not only relate
their experiences and observations
during the cross-country pilgrimage,
but will give their own opinions on
the causes Of automobile accidents
and advance their ideas for the most
practicable "cures."
The clinic will not be confined
strictly to the safe-driver delegates, al
though the motivating spirit of dis
cussion will emanate from the COM
mon variety of driver" rather than
from so-caIled traffic experts, State
and city officials, engineers and man
ufacturers and safety counselorS. The
prime purpose will be to turn the spot
light of public appreciation upon safe
drivers from every State in the
Union.
Members OF the expert group will be
permitted to talk, as in previous con-
ferences on safety subjects, but they
will occupy a back seat when it comes
to adopting a plan of action and a
course to be followed in the promotion
of safer driving. For the drivers
themselves will undertake to form
their own permanent organization
and to map out Nationwide cam
paign.
The experts" will be left free to
handle such weighty aspects OF the
safety movement as legislation, wider
highways, better street facilities and
improved designing of cars.
The selection of the delegates from
each Of the 48 States and the District
of Columbia will be under the direc-
ton of the American Automobile As
sociation and affiliated State motorist
organizations. The A. A. A. will also
fix rules and regulations and lend its
support in every way to the first Ma
tional Safe Driver Motorcade.
One delegate will be chosen to rep
resent each State. Departure Of the
delegates will be timed so that all
will be due to arrive in New York City
in the afternoon of August 81. The
delegates will drive their own cars.
which must be in good mechanical
condition. They will follow routes
fixed by the A. A. A. The schedule
will call for approximately $50 miles
per day.
Speed will be frowned upon an. all
the selected drivers will be pledged to
obey traffic laws ell route. The aim
will be to conduct the pilgrimage in
such manner as to constitute ma
tional demonstration of safe driving
If, perchance. any delegate should fig
iy, n
expected to make full report at the
clinic" All the 40 drivers will fur
nish material for dissection.
Eligibility rules require that an ap-
plicant Cd must have driven private
passenger automobile for at least 1C
years; CD must have covered at least
$4,000 miles in the last 10 years; (3)
must have a clean accident record and
(4) not convicted of any traffic vio-
lation in the last 10 years. Length
of driving record, total mileage COW
cred and other considerations will be
weighed by the judges in selecting the
delegates from the list of candidates.
Expenses of the delegates on the pill
grimage and while attending the clinic
in New York will be borne by the
c. I. T Safety Foundation as part
of its program for the expenditure
of S250,000 in the next five years in
promotion of the cause of safety. For
nation of the Safety Foundation was
announced recently by the c. I. T.
Corp, which, with affiliated compan-
les. finances the purchase of nearly a
million automobiles each year. The
foundation will make numerous
awards, including $1,000 to the person
deemed to have contributed the most
during the year toward reduction in
automobile accidents. Participants in
the motorcade and the clinic will be
eligible for this $1,000 award.
Motorists from every strata Of the
population-man and woman drivers,
young and old-are hanging up "an
amazing record of safety and law OBJ
servance," as applications in the ma
tional safe driver contest are checked
from day to day.
1T now looks as if this unique con-
test would develop into a billion-mile
motoring marathon on the part of the
entrants without so much as the dent
ing of fender or warning from a
traffic officer in a period Of 10 years, "
Thomas P. Henry, president of the
American Automobile Association, de-
clared
Mr.. Henry pointed out that the first
100 applicants for the honor of rep
resenting each of the 48 States and
the District of Columbia in the safe
driver motorcade to New York City
and the driver conference there had
driven 100000 miles in the last 10
years without accident or arrest, an
average of $4,000 miles per driver per
year. Mr.. Henry said, in part:
The primary objectives of this con-
test are to throw the spotlight on the
safe driver, to demonstrate that mil
lions Of motorists are operating with
complete safety and that it is entirely
possible to do so, even under existing
conditions.
Here Is something for alarmists-
who pigeonhole all motorists with wilo
rnen-to chew on when they gel
through biting their nails. To them
1t must seem incredible that there are
any motorists who have driven theil
cars for the past decade without caus.
Ing an accident or receiving ticket
What an inspiring testimony to safe.
ty will have been written when q mil
lion such applications prove to doubt
ers that care and caution are prac-
ticed daily by the average driver
uherever he trave1St
I'VE have heard lot about reckless
drivers. We have read lot Of horror
stories. We have built up fear
psychology that is no good for the
man behind the wheel. I do not say
that We should not condemn reckless
ness, but, I ask, is that all We can do?
Let's talk about the millions of
careful drivers for a while. So long
have we enjoyed pointing an accusing
finger at the driver that we have
come to include all motorists in our