The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1945-12-27
..',a'
r ODAY
and
TOMOR Row
Bv DON ROBINSON:
By DON ROBINSON

AAOAA0A0 1AAAAA
The man who knows how to &c
traffic law violations KILLED" ha
always been looked upon by man,
Americans as man worth know
ing.
Actually, however, he, and TIL
policeman and court officials VIII
work with him, are guilty of con
tributing to mass murder seen
(which is being ss enacted on ou
highways every day of the year
Studies made in various town
and cities make it clear tina
ticket fixing" has reached tn
stage where it is a serious men
ace to safe driving. In SOM
towns practically all violators g
free, in others all local resident
seem to be immune to penalties
and in many, many towns ticket!
are fixed for friends of police Of
ficers and politicians.
In one city where ticket fixine
had reached the stage where the
citizenry demanded reform. the
annual take" in fines had aver
aged $4,000 a year. When ticket
fixing was abolished the traffic
court revenue jumped to $500, 0OO
In medium-sized town, exam
ination of the traffic court records
for a six-month period showed
that only one local resident Gan
unfortunate who apparently did
MT know any of the right people)
had paid fine for traffic law
violation but of several hundred
who had been summoned to court.
But in the same town over 200
non-residents had had to pay
fines and several had had their
license revoked.
This mockery of the traffic
laws, which has led careless driv-
ers to sheer at dangers of pun
ishment, is believed to be one of
the major causes of our alarming
increase in fatal automobile acct
dents.
LAWS ridiculous
In addition to the disrespect for
traffic laws which has been en-
couraged by ticket fixing, another
important factor is the ridiculous
ness of some of the laws them
selves.
A friend of mine was arrested
and had to pay fine for going
through small southern town at
the horse-and-buggy speed of Is
miles per hour. 1t was pointed
out to him that a sign on the out
skirts of town set the maximum
speed at 10 miles per hour.
In one mountain state. on
dangerous. winding roads. signs
tell you that the maximum speed
is 55 miles an hour. On many
parts of those roads it would be
suicide to travel that fast. Those
are two extremes, but any driver
who travels at all is familiar with
the hundreds of signs, even on
super highways, which attempt
to limit speed through one-store
towns to IS or 20 miles per hour
Motorists naturally will not
show respect for traffic laws if
they consider them out of keeping
with the times, anymore than will
if they know they can get tickets
fixed.
Before the automobile stampede
which is expected to crowd our
highways next summer, gets un-
derway, it would probably save
many lives if all the states and all
the towns would review their
traffic laws with the aim of max
ing them reasonable and at the
same time safe" and enforceable
JUVENILES accidents
My study of the accident prob
lem also reveals the importance
of doing something to curb juven-
lie drivers.
The best proof I have seen Of
the need for this is study made
in Connecticut which showed
Over a period of six years the to-
| tai number of persons killed by
100000 drivers As to so years ole
was 66; but during the same peri.
cd, the same number of 16-year
old drivers killed POI persons. the
17-year-olds, 1876. the 18-year old!
148, and those between 10 and q
,about 215.
With juvenile drivers killing
people at a rate over three time!
as great as. adults, it is apparen
that they should not be given thu
freedom of the highways enjoyed
by more matured drivers. It ais.
is evident that if they do continue
to drive, they should abe giver
more training in safety, either
through the schools or through thu
requirements necessary to get +;