Evening star., 1946-05-10
Program Expected
To Save 10000 Lives
In Next 3 Years


Stresses Need for Action.
1T means an annual saving of 49,
600 lives, $4,000 injuries and well
over a billion dollars" he asserted
1--WE have wasted the time of people
by talking. 1t Is time to get down
to waging war on highway acci-
dents"
The first job of the State dele
cations will be to enlist the support
of their Governors. The Governor
of each State will be asked to form
a committee of public officials to
prepare State traffic enforcement
and safety program.
Once the official program is ready,
a State high safety council, repre-
sentative of all interested organiza-
tions, should be called to receive the
findings and act on the recon-
mendations of public officials, the
conference decided.
Proposes CO. -ordinating Group.
To promote the program national
ly, 1t proposed-a o-ordinating COM
mittee for Federal departments and
a national committee of State Of
ficials.
Major proposals of the conference
are:
l. That all States and munich
palities adopt the Uniform Vehicle
Code and the Model Traffic Ordi-
nance to achieve uniformity in laws
and cut out existing confusion over
rules of the road.
2. That every city and State
establish bureau of traffic acci-
dent records to collect and analyze
traffic accident reports and to pre-
vent repetition of disaster.
School Safety Programs.
8. That motor vehicle depart
ments be established as independent
units Of all State governments with
status equal to other departments.
A. That schools at all levels con-
duct traffic safety programs. The
year 1946 will see between $500 and
$500 between the ages of S and a
killed and tens of thousands injured
unless efficient preventive measures
are adopted now.
5. That special courts of record
be provided for the hearing of all
traffic cases and that courts, prose-
cutors and police departments be
provided with adequate personnel,
properly selected and trained, to en-
force traffic law.
Better Licensing System.
6. That sound systems of licensing
and of. suspension and revocation
provide more effective control of
certain drivers who cannot be cor
rected or controlled by court action" :"
Z. That highway planning surveys
conducted comparatively between
the State and the Federal govern
ments provide facts for long-range
improvement to achieve safety and
that the work include urban as well
as rural areas.
8. That advertisers, magazines,
newspapers, radio, libraries and the
movie industry cooperate in a pub
llc information program and use the
ingenuity of their stats to keep the
subject of traffic safety fresh, dra-
matte and constantly before the
public
Every municipality should have an
official co-ordinating committee and
traffic safety organization, Mr..
Hoffman said. The reports of this
conference give them far more
know how than they had in 1885,
when program began which re-
duced the highway fatality rate per
100, 900 600 vehicle miles from 17.6 to
IL in 1889, he added.
Public Must Back Plan.
Thomas H. Macdonald, chairman
OF the committee on conference
reports. said public officials must
depend primarily on the enforce
ment program to reduce accidents
at this time because the material
needed to correct dangelvus ...:-:eoct.s =:
along the highways is not avail
able.
| Congress and the State legisla.
lures have done all they can. It Is
financially possible for the engi-
neers to 60 ahead. We find now
however, that it is not money bu,
equipment and materials that make
it possible to 60 ahead" he said.
Highway traffic will far surpass
the prewar level, even with the
vehicles on the road today, Mr.. Nc.
Donald predicted. He said he die
not know the reason for it, unless
the public is starting out to catch
up after four years of gasoline
rationing.
Roberts Hits Lack of Uniformity.
Owen j. Roberts, former Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court, pre-
senting the report of the committee
OF laws and ordinances, termed the
lack OF uniformity great drawback
to a national safety program but
opposed centralization of traffic con-
troll in the Federal Government as
neither feasible nor desirable"
A strong demand that automobile
manufacturers be required to take
immediate steps to restyle automo-
biles for better driver visibility came
from James j. Cotter of Boston
secretary of the Automobile Safety
Association.
| He asserted that low seats and
long hoods give the driver a false
sense OF security and prevent him
from seeing the road.
| 4 A