The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-10-25
Bicycle Safety
Police Authorities Invited By AAA Club
 To Join Safety Plan
EnrOIIment of Youths, Preliminary Step in Cnrbing ReCIIessness Proposed Organized Drive Includes
 Registration of All Bicycles to Prevent Theft

schools of the state. Aid of police departments and safety groups will be sought.
 MT. Traver states: "The Motor club has decided to use the full- time personnel of its Safety Divi- sion to help the school children in this part of Connecticut to safe- guard their lives as bicyclists. The club feels, with the number of bicycles and the fatalities from bicycle accidents doubled in the last five years, the bicycle has be- come tremendously important part of the traffic problem.
 'aThese boys and girls, as apart of their safety instruction, need to be taught to regard the bicycle not as a plaything, but as a vehicle on part with other means of trafls- portation, subject ot the same traf- fic laws and regulations. The club, in its efforts to reduce highway acc cidents, aims to encourage young bicyclists to become less of haz- ard upon the highway"
 According to Mir. Traver's an- nouncement, the Bicycle Safety Campaign. to be conducted by the local unit of the A. A. A., will be- gin this week in Stratford. The plan is to organize Bicycle Safety clubs among the school children, who will have their "bikes" inspect ed and be given registration num- Der plates, if they qualify for meni- bership. To meet the require ments for membership in the Bi- cycle Safety club, the youngsters bicycle, upon inspection, must be found to be in a safe mechanical condition an be equipped with Q headlight and reflector. Further more the bicyclist must pledge him self to ride according to the state traffic laws and regulations, and the rules of safety.
 Membership
 Application for membership cards in the Bicycle Safety club will be distributed in the schools of the town where the campaign is being conducted. These cards will be made out in duplicate so that a master file will be kept by the Motor Club and Q copy will be on file in the police department. On the appli- cation card will appear, along with all other necessary information, the registration number. At the bottom will be listed the mechanical parts of the bicycle to be inspected, such as: headlight, rear reflector, brakes handlebars, wheels, tires and mis- cellaneous.
 MT. Traver states that the. De- partment of Motor Vehicles and the local police are cooperating witt the Connecticut Motor club in thii bicycle safety work. On the inside of the membership card of the Bi. cycle Safety club is printed Q mes sage from the Department of Mo. tor Vehicles. signed by the com missioner, giving bicycles safety in' struction and the requirements oi the state law governing the equip. ment and operation of bicycles. T is emphasized that 1t is against the state law to allow another tt ride on the handlebars or cross bal and that, if the bicycle is used af. ter dark. there must be headlight on the front and e reflector on the rear.
 Number Plate
 Tn addition to the membership card, the member of the Bicycle Safety club is given an attractive number plate, which has white numbers on a blue background.
 The Motor club has already rec ceived a number of inquiries from police officials who are interested in the plan as e means of secur.. ing data for the Identification of stolen bicycles as well as for safety reasons.