Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-20
Tighter Rules Urged
On Driving Permits
Top Officials
Agree System
Has Weakness
By MIRIAM GUTENBERG

By MIRIAM GUTENBERG
Two top city officials agreed
today the Districts system OF
issuing drivers permits should
be frightened to assure proper
identification and bona flde adj
dresses.
Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Lane.
Engineer Commissioner, said he
would call in Traffic Director
George E. Keneipp to explore
methods of improving the permit
system.
General Administration Direc-
tor Schuyler Lowe said he be-
Ilieves considerable Improvement
could be made with modest extra
cost. He said his office would be
glad to work with Mr.. Keneipp
on devising a workable plan.
The officials Endorsed the idea
Iof a more regulated permit
system after The Star pointed
out last Sunday that any person
who can pass a drivers test can
buy a permit here with no check
on his true name and address.
Put To Various Abuses
The Star brought out that
permits handed out over the
counter in exchange for So can
easily bear phony names and
addresses. AS a result. citizens
complain to police they can't
locate drivers whose permits
they copied after accidents, de-
Ipartment stores are victimized
iby bad check artists flashing
Operators permits with false
identification and drivers whose
permits are revoked after
serious traffic offenses can get
new ones under different names.
Gen. Lane, whose jurisdiction
covers the Department Of We
hicles and Traffic, expressed
surprise that permit seekers are
not required to show identifi-
cation or establish bona f1de
addresses.
ut looks like we need tight
ening up of some kind" he said.
1--WE shall explore the question
of a sound administrative pro-
cedure.
eff motorists want their per-
mits Immediately after they pass
the drivers test, they should
come in with acceptable identi-
fication. If they have no iden-
LITIGATION, they should be re-
quired to wait until the permit
is mailed to them.
"We1l have to work it out, but
I appreciate The Stars opening
this up. There's always some
thing being overlooked. We like
to be kept on our toes"
Mr.. Lowe said the simplest
method of culling out some Of
the present seekers who travel
under false names was to mail
all permits and abandon the
over-the-counter system.
eff other places have been
able to work out a mail order
system" he said, there's no
reason we couldn't. Some addi-
tional Tightening up seems to be
lin order. No really foolproof
system is financially feasible or
even workable, but considerable
improvement could be obtained
for a modest sum-"
Mr.. Lowe regarded the mail
/ ing of all permits as simply an
extension of the present system
of mailing out renewed permits.
He estimated that the gross in
crease in cost would probably
amount to less than $4,000.
He said he thought Mr..
Keneipp and his staff could work
out tighter system, but he
offered some help from his Office.
$4,000 Estimate
| Mr.. Keneipp said permits have
been handed out over the coun-
ter for many years and that he
didn't see why the system should
be changed now. He said any
change would require a "man-
agement survey" that he
doubted the additional expense
could be justified and that his
staff is too overworked to keep
up with its present load.
, He said that if he refused to
issue permits over the counter,
permit seekers would run to their
Congressman and I'D have to
face the music" When it was
pointed out that he could issue
temporary permits doubling as
receipts for the permit fee-as
Virginia does-he said he
doubted if this could be done
without additional personnel.