Evening star., 1937-03-14

to the Territory of Hawaii would as
sure the additional funds needed to
carry out this program.
%, Strengthening of enforcement
and administrative facilities, including
an increase in the number of officers
available for full-time traffic duty
and increased personnel for the Traffic
Division to handle increased regis
trations and other functions, of which
a major activity is enforcement OF
the safety-responsibility law. The
need for adequate and properly To-
Gated traffic lights should not be over
looked.
"3. An aggressive program to secure
enactment of much-needed legislation
such as:
"(a) Strengthening of the safety
responsibility law in accord with an
amendment proposed by Senator
King.
"(b) Passage by Congress Of COM
pulsory motor vehicle inspect law.
"(c) Legislation to make the Office
OF the director Of vehicles and traflc
an office OF record for liens on motor
vehicles.
"(d Enactment of the bill intro
duced by Senator King to provide that
the District of Columbia be appor-
toned a share Of Federal-aid funds
for highways"
While voteless Washington motorists
are facing a heavy increase in taxes
with the proceeds to be diverted to
non-hlghWay purposes, car owners in
approximately half the States are TAX
ing steps to end once and for all the
misuse OF their special tax revenues.
In 20 States anti-diversion drives al
ready have resulted in presentation OF
bills to legislatures calling for amend
ment of State constitutions or other
appropriate action to confine expendi-
ture OF motor tax money to treet and
highway purposes alone, w. I. Cleve-
land, manager Of the local A. A. A.
Motor Club, declares. Several States
already have written amendments into
their constitutions to prevent diver
sion, while campaigns directed toward
a similar goal are under way or are
planned in a number of additional
States, he said.
Thus, while great national move
ment is under way to protect motor
lists tax revenues" Mr.. Cleveland de-
clared, certain members of Congress,
we find, are going In exactly the op-
posite direction and planning to soak
the District car owner with additional
taxes that will be used for support of
general government and not for his
particular benefit
1T is entirely obvious that the plans
to increase the gasoline tax cents a
gallon and to impose a weight tax are
not for the purpose of financing a rea-
sonable street and highway improve
ment program; they are designed SIM
ply to make up large part of the ex-
pected deficit Of $l1 100000 out OF the
pockets of car owners.
The amazing thing about all this is
that Congress itself has recognized the
mequity of charging motorists for the
support of general government. In the
Federal-aid act, Congress has branded
diversion Of special motor tax revenues
10 non-hlghWay purposes as unfair
and unjust, and, further, has always
earmarked District gasoline taxes for
street and highway purposes.
That Washington motorists are
equally aroused is indicated by the
overwhelming vote in the A. A. A.
tax ballots, which stacks up IS per
cent against increase and diversion of
motor taxes. If Congress will recoe-
nlze to any evtent the desires Of Dis
trlct residents, the bills for higher
gas taxes and imposition of a weight
tax will be speedily killed"
An increasing number OF minor traf-
fic collisions, which result infreuuently
to injury to automobile occupants but
cause relatively high aggregate Of
damage, testify to inadequate
control Of the acceleration capacity of
the modern motor car, in the opinion
Of George E. Keneipp, manager of
the Keystone Automobile Club.
To state the case succinctly, Keneipp
points out, the car seems to be quicker
on the accelerator than the driver is
on the brakes.
Because of this circumstance. he
Says, the car gets away from its driver
IN traff1c at the same time another
machine has done the same thing. The
two vehicles meet, not with suf1cient
impact to result in the injury OF the
humans involved. but plenty to do
damage to tenders, radiator grilles and
other surface parts of the machine.
The Keystone Automobile Club calls
attention to the situation because it
believes it to be of sufficient serious
ness to warrant definite consideration
on the part of drivers. Says Keneipp:
1T would seem that the driver can
do one OF two things-either he can
speed up his responses to a quickness
equivalent to that of the car, or he will
have to slow down the vehicle. II
not, property damage will pile up to
even larger proportions than it is
today.
The point that is being missed by
operators involved in such crashes
(most of which occur in heavy trafic
during rush hours) is that while brakes
have been speeded up proportionately
to the faster acceleration of the car,
the time interval required to bring
them into play is quite the same as
always. The driver with chronically
slow reactions is bound to fare Ill If
he does not realize the possibility that
his car is far quicker than he is"
Maryland Area Marked.
MARYLAND has been placed among
Avn the States within which uh1tn