Evening star., 1947-12-18
Traffic School

There Is nothing new about the idea
OF traffic school such as the one which
is to be started here next month on
six-month trial basis. Eighteen Ameri-
can cities already have decided there is
more to be gained by teaching their
drivers not to break the traffic laws than
by fning them for breaking those laws.
Some of the schools have been operating
more than ten years, with good results.
Less than two per cent of the graduates
of the school in Louisville, Kentucky, for
example, have been arrested for traffic
violations San Francisco can find no
record of subsequent traffic violation by
a person who has passed through its
school.
Unsuccessful candidates for drivers IL
censes and persons whose permits have
been suspended or revoked are expected to
provide the bulk of the schools initial en-
rollment here Additional recruits, how
ever, will come from the ranks of traffic
offenders whose permits have not yet
been revoked or suspended.
This is the more interesting category An
offender would attend two-hour session,
one day week for three weeks He could
choose between Friday night or Saturday
morning sessions. After receiving instruc-
ton in traffic rules and driving problems
from representatives of the police force,
the Department of Vehicles and Traffic
and the Corporation Counsel's Office, he
would be subjected to a simple test of his
grasp of the material.
So far, so good. The big question, of
course, is one as to the mechanism by
which traffic offenders in need of instruc-
ton will be sent to the school, Clearly,
the benefit to be derived from the project
depends on how many people who ought
to attend the school do attend it.
1There would be real incentive to attend
II, by going to the classes at the courts
suggestion, an offender would be wiping
out his penalty or cutting down on it. It
seems, however, that Municipal Court
judges who will be handling these cases
here are squeamish about bargaining"
with traffic violators. They are understood
to have decided that when the time comes
to sentence violator they will simply ask
him whether he would like to attend the
school. If he says he would, the case will
BE continued until he has completed the
course. No promise is to be made, mean
while, that successful completion of the
course will lessen his penalty.
This is weak approach which might
vitiate the project from the start. Who
will go to the school under these circum-
stances? Cities where the schools are
operating successfully have not depended
on such half measures
In some of them, traffic-law violators
simply are "sentenced' to attend the
school when the judge believes attendance
would be beneficial. This method is un-
doubtedly effective, but some lawyers be-
lieve 1t could only be 'used here II the
school were established by act of Congress.
In other cities, such as Cincinnati,
Judge sentences a traffic offender and
then, if he thinks the case is one for the
school, suspends sentence in whole or in
part on condition that the offender sue
cessfully complete the traffic course. 1t Is
sometimes objected that this forces the
poor man to attend the school, while the
rich man cheerfully pays his fine. Judges
have found, however, that they can pre-
vent inequities by careful sentencing-by
offering the well-to-do offender for in
stance, a choice between instruction and
q jail term.
The latter alternative seems far better
solution than the rather wishy-Washy
procedure which the local jurists are con-
templating. If there is any chance that
the school can be made to work-and ex-
perience elsewhere shows there is-the
project should be given every break in its
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