Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-11-06

4Ilcy uIlUCTIOOk
to make consistent and continuing
contribution to the solution of con-
ditions imperiling safety in traffic.
Their field Of activity was to include
study of women's problems relative
to shopping and parking, their chill
dren's safety in going to and from
school, general conditions as related
to street lighting, pedestrian signals
and road signs, and even the study
OF routes outside of the Capital and
adjacent points.
This offered a wide scale of opera
tons, all of them germane to the
subject. AS it happened, however,
hardly had the Women's Safety
Committee begun functioning than
chance, or perhaps more properly
design, dropped into its lap a prob
lem of different character and one
considerably more involved than
those contemplated. One, moreover,
OF such fundamental importance
that the opportunity for service
which it presented proved irresis-
tible. The problem in question was
securing the passage of the financial
responsibility bill, which had hung
IN the balance for five years and
which provided that any motorist
convicted OF major traffic violation
or who failed to pay a judgment
arising out of traffic accident
should have his license to drive sus-
pended until he had filed proof of
financial responsibility and satisfied
the Judgment. Some Is States had
already recognized the value of this
piece of accident preventive legisla-
ton and the position of the District
was not enviable.
Campaign Launched.
Literally at the eleventh hour the
Women's Safety Committee. was
called into action. An intensive
education campaign was undertaken
with the object of acquainting the
Congress with the far-reaching
safety implications of the bill. Each
member of the Senate and major
tty of the House were personally
contacted, with the result that a
final roll call revealed the gratifying
fact that not only had the financial
responsibility bill been passed but
BY generous majority.
It Is interesting to note that as
a consequence of this legislation
1858 reckless and financially irres-
ponsibile drivers have been removed
from the streets of Washington
between the years October l., 1885
and October, 1898.
There was, however, a secondary
result as far as the committee was
concerned. This signal success
stamped the Women's Safety Com
mittee as an effective force in the
field OF legislation and while their
safety activities as originally out
lined have been carried on as an
important phase of their work, the
inclusion in their annual programs
OF definite legislative recommends
lions is established. The type of
legislative recommendations began,
moreover, to assume an angle con-
slstent with the character of
woman's committee.
A startlingly large number of
chlldren's casualties during the
summer vacations in the central
area Of the city convinced the. direc-
tors OF the Community Center and
Playground Departments that there
was a necessary association between
these casualties and the fact that
the greater part of the city's school
Fairgrounds were closed between
June and September. In response
to a second last minute call, the
committee undertook and succeeded
IN securing a supplementary appro-
prlation of $40 1000 with which SUPER
vised play in the central area was
continued through the vacation
months.
The attention of the Women's
Safety Committee having been once
definitely directed to juvenile safety
as related to school and play facili-
ties. it was but natural that their
attention should next be directed
to an obvious need in another Sec
ton Of the city.
Several Traffic Perils,
AT Sixth street, and Virginia ave-
nue., in Southwest Washington.
stands the old Jefferson School-for
some 10 years the once proud outpost
OF education in the oldest section of
the Nations Capital, its isolation now