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Show How Speed Mania Was cured. Not all persons upon becoming the owner of a motor vehicle imnglno the price paid for tho machine includes ownership of the streets, but a gocd many seem to have that Impression, Tho change from dodging a cur tob!rg dodged is apt to be one in which the rights of the pedestrian are quickly forgotten. In our large cities the loss of life from uutomoblles nnd motorcycles motor-cycles has grown to be something frightful, fright-ful, and largely unnecessary. In some European cities the remedy is to arrest and fine tho one who is ho slow and Atupid us to gut run over that is, if he survives. But no such process of law will be tolerated here, nor should it. On tho other hand, motor cars are u modern necessity und tho streets are no longer u safe place in which children child-ren con piny. There must bo moderation modera-tion and caution on the part of both. The enforcement of a reasonable speed reduces the nccident and denth rate to a minimum, mid Chicago has demonstrated thnt such a reform can tie easily accomplished in a few daj h. Several deaths each wrjk from motora had rolled up a total of 75 In n shott time, nnd something had to be done. This is the cure, am it was accomplish, cd in a few days: While 15 miles nn hour is tho legal high speed, 20 miles was unofficially assumed to be the limit. Anyone exceeding that sced was promptly arrested and fined heavily, with the promise that thu amount would be doubled for n second offense. Instead of tho cases bolng brought before be-fore some friendly magistrate in the district where the arrest was made, all cobcb wero heard by ono judge. This permitted a system of records, with the promiso that something besides finis would be imposed nfter tho second offense. of-fense. For nbout a week tho fines aggregated over fGOO u day and then suddenly dropped. Tho effect was very noticeable after tho third day; at tho end of tho first week thcro whs really very little violation of tho rules. Tho reform was accomplished so easily and quickly, that then seemi no need for any other speed-Infested city to longer tolorato such a needless condition of dangur. II. H. Windsor in the Se-tember Se-tember Populur Mechanics Magazine. |