Evening star., 1943-01-13
Quick Penalties
Urged Driving
Violations Rise
308 D. G. Motorists
Face Hearings in
Pleasure Car Use

Pleasure Car Use
Violations of the automobile pleas
ure driving ban will increase here
unless action is taken soon to penal
ize some of the alleged violators al
ready reported, police official said
To-Day, as the local Office of Price
Administration and District police
announced the listing of 81 more
suspected motorists.
The additional 51-three reported
by police and 48 by OPA inspectors
brought to 308 the number of al
legged pleasure drivers who face
hearings before their local rationing
boards.
The District OPA office was unable
to say when hearings will be held,
but announced it was beginning to
send the names Of suspected motor
lists to various rationing boards in
the District. It will be up to the
boards to set the hearings, the OPA
Office said
The transmission of names to the
boards was delayed, the District
OPA said, until names and addresses
could be checked and necessary
clerical work completed.
Autos Increase on Street.
The District police Official. who
asked that his name be withheld,
said the failure of OPA to announce
that any of the suspected motorists,
some of whom were reported last
Friday, have been penalized has
caused some local residents to de-
eide the ban on pleasure driving
will not be strictly enforced He said
he had noted more private auto
mobiles had reappeared on the
streets yesterday and today.
Unless disposition is made soon
OF the cases reported last week, he
suggested. more and more motorists
will use their automobiles for pleas
ure driving and take their chances
on being caught"
Meanwhile, as Washington COM
pleted its first week under the
pleasure driving ban with streets
virtually bare of private automo-
biles, Traffic Director William A.
Van Duzer revealed that a num-
ber of traffic signal lights may be
cut off because they are no longer
necessary.
Vehicles Counted.
Passing vehicles are being counted
at many intersections, Mr.. Van
Duzer said, indicating that in few
days, when all reports are in, de-
cision will be made as to what traffic
lights are to continue in use.
Signal lights in the past have been
installed at intersections where 1000
or more automobiles passed each
hour. for an eight-hour period.
Where the present survey shows the
number of automobiles passing in an
hour to have dropped to 300 or 400,
lights may be disconnected, the
traffic director indicated.
Chief obstacle to cutting off some
of the traffic signals is that IL is
not known how long the OPA ban
on pleasure driving will remain in
effect, he pointed out.
Newark IN. j. officials announced
today that half Of that city's traffic
lights will be turned off because of
the decline in traffic. The Massa-
chusetts State Public Works Com
mission has ordered signal lights out
under it's jurisdiction between I PM.
Saturdays and am. Mondays.
OF the 308 violators reported, 273
were reported by the Is OPA in
spectors working out of the local
office. District police have turned
in the names of only % motorists,
while park police have reported only
two and have found none for the
past three days.
Sidestepping Seen.
Some pleasure travellers here were
sidestepping the OPA restrictions by
leaving their automobiles at home
and riding taxicabs, but those who did
were taking their chances. Despite
the absence of any prohibition on
pleasure riding by taxi, some cab
drivers were carrying out the spirit
of the restrictions on private auto
mobiles by refusing to transport
passengers to theaters and night
clubs. One cab driver told of a
woman who hailed five taxis on
Massachusetts, avenue before she
found driver who would take her
to a downtown luncheon engage
ment.
To avoid difficulty in obtaining
taxi transportation, many enter
tainment seekers were giving near
by street addresses instead of ask
ing to be driven to theaters or
night clubs. Few taxi drivers were
said to be questioning passengers
who adopted this ruse.
In other cities OPA officials are
beginning to act in cases of the first
suspected violators of the pleasure
driving ban. Twelve New York City
motorists charged with infractions
! of OPA driving rules were ordered
yesterday to surrender gas rations
for periods of from two weeks to
two months. First hearings for al
legged pleasure drivers in Richmond,
Va, have been set for Friday.
Written Reasons Asked.
| Inc BalClmOre (MQ.) OPA once
is sending letters to 592 suspected
motorists, asking for written expla-
nations within "a hours of the cir
cumstances in which their automo-
biles were observed. Hearings before
4 Baltimore rationing boards will be-
gin at the end of this week or early
next week. ,.
A group Of cagy customers in a
Berlin (Md) tavern yesterday had
officers seeking to enforce the pleas.
ure driving ban temporarily stumped.
The tavern was full and not an
automobile was in sight.
But, suspicious, the officers took ,
walk-and found 26 cars hidden in
a woods nearby.