The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1937-06-11
MOTOR INDUSTRY ESTABLISHES
AUToMoTIvE SAFETY FoUN-
DATION

1 DoCrOlL, June l-EuCOuTd66U Dy
definite progress made during the
first 16 months of the united auto
motive industry's effort toward the
solution of the fundamental problems
of highway safety, nearly hundred
top ranking executives of the car,
bus. truck, tire, accessory and finance
companies completed the organize
ton of the Automotive Safety Foun-
dation at a dinner this evening in
the Detroit Athletic Club.
Recognizing that control over the
dual problems of safety and traffic
congestion can be achieved only thru
continuing and consistent plan of
correlation of safety efforts and sup
port for sound methods and tech
niques, the executives of the indus
try placed its highway safety pro-
gram on a permanent basis.
Through the Automotive Safety
Foundation the industry Is spending
nearly half million dollars on the
1897 program, which is in addition
to the hundreds of thousands of dol
lars spent by individual companies 10
providing safety literature, films and
other materials. Equally significant
is the cooperative support extended
by the industry for uniform traffl.:
legislation by states and municipal
ties"
The detectives of the Foundation
as set forth in its certificate of incor-
poration are:
"To foster the general welfare and
to promote the mutual interests of
the public and the automotive indus
tries by encouraging the safe and eff
ficient use of streets and highways;
by stimulating research into the
causes of street and highway acct
dents; and by disseminating informa-
ton on the safe use of motor vehic-
les, on effective methods of prevent
ing accidents, on ways and means
ing traffic with safety, and on other
matters affecting the motor vehicle
and its use."
A seven-point program developed
over the past year will form the basis
of the Foundations activities, en-
bracing: (1) Education, GU Traffic
control administration, (3) Legisla-
ton, ca Enforcement, (5) Engine
ering, co Technical personnel train
ing and CD Research. Specifically,
the Foundation seeks adequate acct
dent reporting and analysis, the
training and employment of techni-
cal specialists in traffic engineering
and police control, modernization OF
present roads and streets and the
highest type of new construction con-
sistent with available funds, raised
levels of driving performance and
pedestrian education and dissemina-
ton of information pertaining to the
safe and efficient use of motor We
hicles.
Effective control of traffic and
accidents will not be achieved until
government-federa state and To-
cal-fully recognizes its responsible
ity by exercising the authority it now
has to deal with the problem" said
Paul G. Hoffman, president of the
Foundation and president of the
Studebaker Corporation. Every
state can have as much or as little
safety as it's citizens insist upon get
ting. Each state and municipality
should have an official state safety
organization, financed by state funds,
to correlate the engineering, enforce
ment and educational activities of
governmental departments, and to
enlist public support. To the
achievement of this objective the
Automotive Safety Foundation Pied
ges it's utmost support"
Points of progress attending the
first 16 months of highway safety eff
fort by the industry are listed as fol-
lows: adoption of standard, uniform
driver license laws in nearly a dozen
states; reductions in fatalities in
1896 in 18 states ranging from l to
IS per cent; development and appli-
cation Of effective techniques in traf-
ic control Installation of police ac-
cident prevention bureaus in a doz-
en- cities and two states); develop
ment of methods of raising standards
of driving skill, especially among
problem" drivers; advanced courses
held in seven universities. and 10
states for technical training of traf-
fc officers and traffic control engine
ers; widespread growth in adoption
Of highway safety ooursas in the cur-