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Show LAXITY BLAMED FOR RACEDEATHS Accident to Ray Keech Was Due to Hole in Wooden Bowl at Altoona. , Criticism of the laxity under which automobile speed contests are conducted con-ducted throughout the country was voiced in Washington by the American Motorists' association, in co-operation with the Automobile Club of Illinois. ,The charge was made by Si Mayer, president of the Automobile Club of Illinois and vice president of the A. M. A., that the failure on the part of authorities supervising the races to permit only experienced drivers to participate on well-conditioned tracks has resulted In avoidable loss of life to both drivers and spectators. The recent death of Ray Keech at Altoona is the latest example of this laxness, writes Walter A. Berming-ham Berming-ham in the Chicago Evening Post. Following his death it was officially announced that the accident was due to a hole in the wooden bowl, which It was stated would have required less than a carload of lumber to repair. State authorities should put a stop to these avoidable race-track killings, Vice President Mayer told the executive execu-tive board of the association, which approved his charge of laxness by the adoption of a reso'ution deplcring the sacrifice of life and placing the blame primarily on the organization having supervision of the races. "Any auto organization, whose major function is public safety and which undertakes to sponsor automobile auto-mobile races," said Mayer, "cannot escape es-cape responsibility for the tragic consequences con-sequences of iuexpert driving, as regards re-gards personnel, or the physical condition condi-tion of tracks over which the races are run. "Automobile racing is sufficiently hazardous without imperfect track conditions, and we believe public opinion opin-ion will no longer tolerate contests under such conditions, no matter under un-der whose auspices and sanction the races are run. "Automobile racing, under the present pres-ent system, Is conducted primarily for profit and serves no useful purpose. "In the early years of the automobile, automo-bile, races were of value In the development devel-opment of automotive science and mechanism. At the present time, however, how-ever, each automobile manufacturer makes his own tests on his own proving prov-ing ground. Furthermore, the development devel-opment of an automobile that will travel 2(X) miles an hour is of no practical prac-tical value to automotive science for such speed would always be a menace on the public highway." |