TRAFFIC LESSON

Evening Star, Issue 22891, 24 February 1938, Page 11

TRAFFIC LESSON

GIVEN TO GERMANS Increase in motor traffic in Germany since 1933 has compelled the nation’s authorities to pay special attention to the problem of road safety, writes Emelyn Williams, in the ‘ Christian Science Monitor.' On the German roads to-day are more than 1,000,000 private motor cars, an increase of 323,000 since Hitler came into power. ' “ DerFuhror ” is himself an enthusiastic motorist, who has covered thousands of miles up and down Germany, both as a party campaigner and as head of the State. He also is especially anxious that aill Germans should become “ auto-minded,” and that the pleasures of the motor car should he within the reach of the majority of the population. That explains the emphasis laid at every year’s Automobile Show upon the “People’s Auto,” which, it is hoped, wi\l one day appear on the roads of Germany. It has also provided much of the impetus behind the great movement which has produced the new motor roads and the great automobile production of the (last four years. Military, economic, and other State considerations have played their parts in this development, but it has also received great encouragement from the Fuhrer’s personal desires. As the number of cars rose rapidly, the problem of the safety of the roads became more pressing. During the summer months of 1936, 145 were killed and 4,200 injured each week on the German roads; in the closing weeks of 1936 these figures were 80 and 2,000 respectively. This improvement was even, better than the statistics indicated, since the number of oars on the road was continually increasing. _ But oven so, it was not considered, satisfactory. . A campaign of traffic education for the masses, therefore, was launched early in 1937. Its aim is to cure inexperience and lack of thought on the road through the establishment of a “ comradeship of the road,” embracing the automobilist, the cyclist, and the pedestrian. The campaign opened on January 21 with a special police day, which carried as its slogan, “ The Policeman —Our Friend.” To the aid of the police were called in the members of the “N.S.K.K.” (Nationalsovialistisches Kraftfahr-Korps), the auto squadrons of the party. They are, in fact, the mediators between police and people, upon the success and failure of whose policy the road safety of Germany will very largely depend in the near future. The N.S.K.K. was established some years ago for making propaganda for auto travel and auto sport. To-day, it has more than 450,000 members, who are themselves being' trained or are already trained to make; Germans a nation of “ modern traffic-minded people.”- ' This organisation has evolved a special “ Verkehrserziehungsdienst ” (traffic education service). Most of its members are former members of the Hitler Youth organisation, and enter one of the 26 auto schools whiqh exist in the Reich. They are trained in both the theory and practice of dealing with traffic and traffic offenders in these schools, in traffic parks, and on the streets. The N.S.K.K. has only a very small staff of paid officials, the majority of its members being voluntary, helperswho sacrifice their free time to help on the cause of “ comradeship of . the road.” This, one of them explained, is a practical application of their motto, “ treu, opferwillig und einsatzbereit ” (loyal, willing-devotion, and readysacrifice). ’ APPLYING THE KNOWLEDGE. Having learned in the special schools, through the use of “ traffic tables,” how to detect and avoid the mistakes of the pedestrian, the automobilist, and the cyclist, the N.S.K.K. men seek to apply this knowledge on the road. Since their work is voluntary, they are generally to be seen at the week-end, when they have most free time. They work in pairs, and are easily recognisable since they wear, suspended from the neck, ft small metal breastplate bearing the title “ N.S.K.K.—Verkehrsehziehungsdienst.”_ One of them also carries a small stick at the end of which is a round white metal sign bordered 1 with red, carrying the same words as the breastplate. - The N.S.K.K. men are not policemen, They mhy co-operate with the policeman on point duty at times of great traffic or in accidents. (They rendered valuable service during the Olympic Games in Berlin last summer.) Their main task is not to control traffic, but t(| deal with traffic offenders. Immediately an offender is found a special procedure is followed this is the same whether the offender bo automobilist, cyclist, or pedestrian. The offender is stopped by the N.S.K.K. man holding up his “staff.of authority.” He and his companion then salute the offender and point out his offence. Then in order that he shall not forget it he is presented with a sheet from a block of 100 tear-off sheets, each one of which contains 12 pictures humorously illustrating the cardinal traffic mistakes. A cross is marked against the particular mistake ‘ which has just been made and the offender is allowed to go his way. These N.S.K.K. men do not enjoy police functions, and cannot arrest or fine an offender. Only in the case where someone under the influence of drink is found in charge of a motor car can they lock up the car and hand over the driver to the next police station. TACT IS REQUIRED. Since their task is intended to he education through persuasion, much tact and knowledge of hpman nature are required in carrying it out. To know when the serious word or when the light, humorous touch is applicabe requires insight and experience. Yet, without such knowledge, little progress towards a “ comradeship of the road ” will be made.

How patience may be taxed is llustrated in the case of the experience of one snob N.S.K.K. man, who was on duty recently on Unter den Linden, Berlin’s leading thoroughfare. Two women who were crossing the road against the red light -were held up by him. He and his companion courteously, and with a humorous touch, explained the offence and handed the women a marked “ offence sheet.” The conversation lasted until the light signal had again changed to red and prevented the women crossing. But immediately the N.S.K.K. men had turned their hacks, one of the women was heard to say: “ That’s all right. They have gone, so now w r e can cross! ” Or what of the automobilist, whose offence was pointed out courteously at one crossing, and at the next handed back the block to another N.S.K.K. man with the remark: “ I haven’t seen the joke yet; will you show it to me? ” It is as yet too early to speak of the results of their experiment, since it has only been working properly from the beginning of 1937. About 30,000 N.S.K.K. men have already passed through the training schools, and a few thousands are added to this figure each month. At the moment these men are sent to the various centres of populati'-n. ng to a rule of this sort: Towns of over

20,000 inhabitants have at least six men on duty at a time, those over 80,000 have 20 men, while the number for the larger cities increases in proportion to their size. . The various National-Socialist Party organisations and the schools have also been used for the purpose of spreading “traffic education.” Some of the best trained N.S.K.K. men periodically attend these institutions to give lectures, with pictures, films, etc. Everything is being organised with that thoroughness associated with the German character, and the authorities are confident that the results will justify the care, thought, and expense which are now being to this subject.