Evening star., 1953-08-27
Plan 10 Stiffen
School Bus Law
Gains Impetus
; Maryland Groups
Urge Inspections and
Higher Standards
By Hermon 6. Schoden

The effort to eliminate unsafe
school buses and untested
drivers from area roads got the
green light on three approaches
today.
In Montgomery County, where
a make-shift day camp bus ran
off the road and killed a boy last
month, delegates to the General
Assembly began studying a
concrete legislative proposal.
Approaching from another
angle, a Montgomery County
delegate to the State Association
of County Commissioners was
preparing to submit resolutions
urging support for Statewide
motor vehicle inspection and
broader bus safety standards.
And at Baltimore Motor
Vehicles Department officials
bespoke the need for some sort
of inspection system, and for
tighter control of vehicles of less
than 10 passengers which haul
children without license or
fiNancial responsibility.
Law Now on Books.
The Motor Vehicles officials
have shown no disposition to re-
activate an inSpection-permitting
law now on the books, giving
lack of operating funds as an
excuse.
Recently they've been conSid-
ering a kind of rowing inspection
system which would rule out
both the State-operated station
and private garage types of in
Spection employed by other
States.
w. Dana Rudy, deputy COM
missioner of Motor Vehicles, said
the idea appealed to him and to
Commissioner Thomas E. L.
Mudd, as far as they had gone
into it.
Generally, it would call for
perhaps Is or 30 inspectors pa
trolling the counties in automo-
bileS. Responsible to the Motor
Vehicles Department alone, they
would act as sort of super traffic
cops, not only enforcing traffic
regulations. but serving as an in
Spection station on wheels.
Viewed as Deterrent.
They could stop cars obviously
in need Of repair or some safety
device, and summarily usher the
driver to a garage for immediate
compliance.
"TheSe special investiga tors
not only would catch up with a
lot of offenders, but the knowl-
edge they were on the road also
would serve as a deterrent to
other careless motorists" MIR.
IGuuy pointed OUT.
State legislation would be nec-
essary to set up a budget for
such system, he said.
Other longtime advocates of
State inspection weren't so sure
this was the answer. One was
Arthuer E. Miller, Montgomery
County safety director, who saw
it as another enforcement agency
which we have too many of al
ready"
Mr.. Miller will attend the con-
vention of State county commits
sioners at Ocean City Saturday
to assist council member Stella
B. Werner in presenting two res
olutionS.
Seek Stronger Laws.
One will ask the State associa-
ton to back adequate and prac-
tical legislation establishing a
program of motor vehicle inspec-
Clon at the earliest date"
The other will ask State asso-
citation backing for State legisla-
ton strengthening and Clarity
ing driving permit licenses.
At the request of j. Douglas
Bradshaw. chairman of the
Montgomery County delegation
to the General Assembly, Mr..
Miller furnished the chairman
with suggestions for amending
the present State law on drivers
permits.
They would prohibit any one
under 18 years of age from
transporting passengers in We
hicles obviously used for COM
mercial purposes, and would de-
mand special chauffeur's licenses
for those l8 years and older.
The special licenses would be is