Evening star., 1938-07-14
LAW TO COMPEL
| TRAILER BRAKES
| GIVEN APPROVAL
Safety Conference Drafts
Regulations to Submit
to 48 States.
ROAD MARKERS CHANGE
GIVEN CONSIDERATION
Larger Letters on Control Signs
Urged to Remove Hazards.
Size Also Discussed.

A model law on the proper brakes
for trailers, those modern rolling
homes which fill the highways, was
approved today for submission to the
48 States by the National Conference
on Street and Highway Safety, in ses-
sion at the United States Chamber of
Commerce.
The new, proposed law would
strengthen the Bureau of Public Roads
suggested regulation that every trailer
weighing 5000 pounds or more "be
equipped with brakes adequate to con-
troll the movement Of and to stop and
to hold such vehicle and 80 designed
as to be applied by the driver of the
towing vehicle from its cab"
Brakes TO Be Synchroni1ed.
The latest recommendation Is that
an arrangement must be provided for
applying the brakes Of the trailer and
the brakes Of the towing car in syn.
chronism. The experts said that such
law would be great step forward.
When an automobile Is braking per-
fectly, they concluded. it should stop
in 80 feet at 20 miles an hour If it
has four-wheel brakes and in IS feet
If it has two-wheel brakes.
Proposed changes in uniform trafic
control devices which relate to uni
form regulations and ordinances also
were being considered by the trafic
experts attending the final days ses-
sion Of the conference.
Evdoo yorino o,o~..k.
highway markers that would be more
effective at night and easily seen by
motorists travelling at high speeds,
committee yesterday proposed that
signs having several letters with re.
Electors be enlarged.
A motion by Burton w. Marsh, di-
rector safety and traffic engineering
department, American Automobile
Association. requiring that all letters
on signs be Of the rounded type In.
stead of box was passed unanimously.
Tests had proved legibility at a great
er distance Mr.. Marsh pointed out.
Other Changes Urged.
The committee also decided to re-
quest the Bureau Of Public Roads to
make a thorough investigation into
the distances at which various sizes
Of letters may be read. E. w. James
OF the bureau presided at the meeting.
One of the most important changes
adopted by the committee was to rec.
ommend discontinuance of the prac-
tice of placing refiectors on the outer
edges of highway markers. When
this plan was adopted several years
ago it was hoped the public could be
made to recognize that certain shape
sign indicated q certain instruction.
Failure Of the plan was testified to
by almost all committee members
and a recommendation was passed
that the reflectors be placed on the
symbols or letters. Especially was
this urged In the case Of the rail-
road crossing markers.
Discuss Marker Placing.
Having in mind the hazard created
when the motorist must stop sud-
denly at highway intersections to
learn the direction of his route, the
committee discussed at length the
method Of placing highway route
numbers and symbols. Markers should
be placed ample distance from the
intersection, it was emphasized, and
each route treated separately in mark
ing straight ahead, left turn and right
turn for various routes.
Proposals under consideration for
several years to recommend . change
in the color Of stop signs was aban-
doned. The black on yellow are con-
However, the committee recommended
that white reflector buttons instead Of
red be used in the letters.