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Show AUTOISTS URGED TO PLAYSAFETY i Development of Personal as Well as Group Responsibility Responsi-bility Is Needed. Complicated legislation, which is so Involved that it often defeats its own ends is seen as an obstacle to traffic and highway safety by Thomas P. Henry, president of the American Automobile Au-tomobile association. He issued a statement requesting all Three A aflili-1 aflili-1 ated motor clubs throughout the coun-j coun-j try to urge upon all car owners the j vital necessity of developing a sense of personal as well as group responsibility responsi-bility In driving cars and in safeguarding safeguard-ing human life and property. Legislation Fails. Legislation, he says, has failed to keep our streets and highways safe, and we must look to the motorist's mind and reason for safety. According to a comprehensive survey sur-vey of the automobile and pedestrian accident situation throughout the country, coun-try, as made by the A. A. A. in pur suance of its drive for safer motoring, there is no direct relation between the amount of severity of legislation and safety, and frequently no relation between be-tween law enforcement and safety. "This reveals the outstanding weakness weak-ness of automobile legislation and enforcement." en-forcement." President Henry explains. "The average driver feels that the law is something tiiat technically imposes upon him a certain restriction which j he can very easily avoid if lie is careful care-ful not to 'be caught. There appears to be no clear-cut sense of obligation. I thus revealing an urgent need for a I switch to concentration upon a moral obligation. Effective Enforcement Needed. "Good motor laws and effective enforcement en-forcement are absolutely essential in order that those who refuse to appreciate appre-ciate their responsibilities can be punished pun-ished accordingly, but legislation alone will not do for our present complicated compli-cated system of motoring. Legislation without an appropriate sense of per sonal ami group responsibility is mulling mull-ing more than what we choose to call carelessness. "It is a significant fact that many laws which are not on the statutes are being obeyed more willingly than i many which are described by over- enthusiastic safety advocates as having hav-ing -teeth' in them. These lire t lie I laws of common sense and decency. ! readily understandable to the aver-' aver-' age driver and, therefore, a true basis ' of safety. I "The A. A. A. wains all its atliliated clubs against con.-entrating too much time upon enactment of additional legislation, leg-islation, but to conduct campaigns immediately im-mediately to educate the driver to the importance of his responsibility to himself him-self as well as to those he is nor:i!! i obliged to protect ! "We are going to turn selfishness inside out and "apply its enormous force into productivi channels. If J every driver will be selfish enough to ! jtlve' due concern to his own welfare i no one need worry about Ihe salety I uf motoring as a whole. I i "With the nation's drivers looking out for themselves first there can be j no insanity and road hoggi-dmess to I mar motoring. ; "We want the automobile driver to ! feel that any foolhardy or senseless act j is h violation of Ins own rights, his i own judgment, his own welfare. As ' matters now stand., with each state i issuing a portfolio of legislation, the i motorist lias a notion thai when be j is careless he is but violating some ; formal dictum in the imposition of j which he had n" part." |