Evening star., 1939-02-02
Keep One Step Ahead
OF Death Stressed
As New Traffic Slogan
Representative SCHULTZ
Outlines Program
To Advisory Council

Keep one step ahead of death
walk right, drive right"
With that slogan, Representative
Schultz, Democrat, of Indiana,
chairman of the Streets and Traffic
Subcommittee of the House District
Committee, today started another
intensive traffic safety campaign in
Washington.
A Washington record for the least
traffic deaths in the country is his
goal. Last year there were 86, a
reduction of 20 under 1887, which
Mr.. Schultz believes resulted from
his first traffic safety crusade.
Outlines Program to Council.
Mr.. Schultz outlined his new pro-
gram at a dinner last night at the
Columbia Country Club of the Dis
trict Traffic Advisory Council.
There he told those who are vitally
concerned with the Districts traffic
problems-the Commissioners, po-
lice and traffic officials, traffic court
judges and the men who constitute
the traffic council-precisely what
should be done this year to cut
down traffic deaths and traffic acci-
dents.
Three definite plans for increas-
ing traffic safety were proposed by
Mr.. Schultz:
/. That left turns be abolished
throughout the congested business
area.
2. That pedestrians be protected
at traffic controlled intersections by
special signal that would stop We
hicular traffic in all directions for
a period of at least "a seconds.
3. That one-Way streets be ma
terially increased in the congested
section.
A number of other proposals for
expediting the movement of traffic
as we'll as cutting the potential traf-
fic death rate we're made by Mr..
Schulte-proposals that in some in
stances constituted criticism of ex-
isting conditions.
MOtOrmen Blamed.
First, Mr.. Schultz blamed street
cars for two traffic deaths so far
this year and charged that motor
men are recklessly disobeying traf-
fic regulations. He declared the new
streamlined cars also may have been
partly responsible for these deaths
because they are silent in opera
ton.
Second, he complained that motor
busses block traffic, especially when
turns are made and said they con-
stitute one of the worst offenders
we have in tying up traffic
Need for increased cooperation
between drivers of all vehicles as
we'll as pedestrians also was stressed
by Mr.. Schultz. He predicted if his
program is carried out:
when we call the roll December
81, we will find that not more than
IS lives have been sacrificed in
Washington in 1889 on the altar OF
speed and recklessness.
Judges Offer Opinions.
Police Court Judges Curran, Casey
and Newman offered some frank
opinions on curing Washington's
traffic evils. Judge Curran, the most
outspoken, said:
my short stay on the Traffic Court
bench has convinced me that fines
and penalties should be uniform,
the speed limit should be increased
to 80 miles an hour and that limit
strictly enforced.
with uniform fines and penalties
all traffic violators would receive the
same punishment. Too often now
traffic cases are juggleG and post
poned until a lawyer gets decision
satisfactory to him.
speed alone and of itself has
never caused a serious accident. I
find it pretty hard to drive a car
at % miles per hour. But I've only
been caught once.
"If the speed limit is increased
and strictly enforced we would have
less traffic congestion. am conf
dent of that because no driver has
ever been brought before me for
going less than 30 miles per hour"
Better Timing Urged.
Judge Curran also suggested that
the timing of the traffic lights be
better co-ordinated and then re-
marked:
Its pretty tough to sit up on a
Traffic Court bench and assess fines
against respectable men and women
for violating traffic regulations
Judge Newman deplored the fact
that it is only possible to impose
a maximum fine of $40 for first
offense speeding, irrespective of the
rate of speed of the violator. En-
gineer Commissioner McCoach sug-
gested as an aid to the parking
situation that all new buildings
erected in Washington, both private
and Federal, should provide or
street parking facilities.