SECTION ONE- NEW SWETY RESraNSHUTY UW GOES INTO EFFECT W fWHTH CAROUNA On JAH-1 ♦ i Requirement Changed For Reporting Traffic Accidents; Under New Law Two Reports Must Be Made After Any Accident on Highway The requirements for reporting traffic accidents will be completely changed from the present system be ginning January 1, when North Caro lina’s new Safety Responsibility Law goes into effect, Motor Vehicles Com missioner Edward Scheidt announces. ( Motorists involved in accidents will not only be required to make two re ports instead of one, as at present, but the method of reporting ,the places where reports are to be filed, and the amount of property damage involved will also be substantially dif ferent. In order to correct any confusion or misunderstanding, Commissioner Scheidt issued the following step-by-, step explanation of how the new re porting svstem will work on and after January 1: “The first thing to understand is that a reportable accident under the new Motor Vehicle Safety Responsi bility Law is one in which a person has been killed or even slightly in jured, or the total apparent property damage is ,SIOO or more. There are a number of important things that call for brief explanation right here. “The first is that the amount of property damage involved is increased j from $25, as at present, to SIOO. The second is that the word ‘total’ means! all property damage combined, not just the damage to one car or other] property of one person. If one car, | for instance, sustains $35 damage andj another S3O, in the eyes of the law the total damage is slls and the acci dent most certainly is reportable. “Motorists should also be careful not to under-estimate the amount of property damage. Motor vehicle re pairs are costly these days, and that should be taken into consideration. In addition, damaged clothing, damage to fenecs or buildings, broken eyeglasses and many other things must be in cluded in the calculations. If there is any doubt about the amount of property damage, my advice is to make both reports and be safe. There are stern penalties for wilful failure to report or fraudulent reporting. “The next thing to remember is that the driver of every car involved in a reportable accident must file two reports, regardless of fault. Even if one driver assumes all blame and of fers to take care of the damage NORTH CAROLINA’S New Safety Responsibility Law is STRICT i / After January .1,1954 you better have plenty of ready cash or a rich uncle willing to put up bond for you if you are going to take a chance on driving a car without the liability insurance you need. You don’t have to have insurance, but you do have to show that you are able to pay any damages up to $11,000.00 when you are involved in an auto accident For quite a few years North Carolina has had a law that didn’t give too much protection to the public against irresponsible drivers. Now that law has been changed. After Jan uary 1, 1954 the law says that you have to be able to pay for damages or injury you do with your car. If you can’t pay and have no auto liability insuran.ce that will pay for you, you have to give up your driver’s license and quit driving. FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON WHAT THE LAW SAYS ANQ HOW BEST TO PROTECT YOURSELE UNDER. THE ' NEW-LAW, PHONE, WRITE OR SEE - '- ■ », ' TWIDDY INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE CO. ~ , ........ ■ ... -. '. *. ;■ ■ - l ftl. AJt £ ---V FdontAti I Page Ten j through his insurance; or if a pedes ’ trian who is slightly injured refuses • medical examination and says forget ■ the whole thing, go right ahead and r file both reports. The law says this • must be done—and, furthermore, peo , pie sometimes change their mind as ! ter thinking things over. “Now a word about the two accident , reports, and here we find several vi i tal changes in the law. At present, motorists are required to report only : once and it heed not be written. Be ginning January 1 they must make two reports, each to a different place, and one of them must be written and > on an official form. The time for fil ing is also changed. “Under the new law, the first re port must be made immediately and by the quickest means of communi cation. Thus, this one does not have to be written. If the accident occur red in a municipality, the report must be made to the local police. If it oc curred outside of a municipality, it | must be made to the State Highway | Patrol, the sheriff, or any other quali- j fied rural police of the county in 1 which it occurred. “The second report must be filed within 254 hours with the State De partment of Motor Vehicles. This one l I must be written and the new official form must be used. A supply of these' i forms has been deposited with all J State Highway Patrol stations, the ! Department of Motor Vehicles, all po- lice departments and all sheriff’s of- 1 fices. Any motorist can obtain one J of these forms at any time without j cost. It would be helpful to get one] now, study it, and keep it on hand in case of ill luck. ; “This report calls for answers to i many questions. They must be an-, swered accurately and adequately. The 1 information sought is for the protec- ( tion of the person making the report quite as much as the rest of the peo ple. Take the questions about insur ance, for instance. If they aren’t an swered the Department will assume the car or driver was uninsured and will proceed against him under the i security provisions of the new law. Yet, if he had insurance, he was ' exempt from the remaining provisions ' of the new law after having filed his • report. I ! “Most certainly motorists who do THE CHOWAN HERALD, EDENTON, N. C„ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1983. id tou ymm ■3^*1 1,000 1 I “Mankind, My Business” Annually at the anniversary of Jesus’ birth, mil lions read Charles* Dickens’ "Christmas Carol.” Millions of others will listen on the air to Lionel Barry more as he perennially interprets miserly Scrooge, both villain and hero of the tale. It is well to read the immortal little story about mean, grasping, penny-pinching Scrooge whose sharp mind is contihually dreaming dreams and seeing vi sions. To him appears the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley. In life Jacob Marley had been as hard as nails and as stingy and paltry as old Scrooge himself. Now from the world of shadows, Marley’s ghost does his utmost to save parsimonious Scrooge from the disaster which had inevitably overtaken him. As the ghost wrings his hands and deplores the shortcomings - and omissions of the life he had lived on earth, Scrooge manages to inject these words, falteringly and with quavering voice: “But you were always a good man of business, Jacob.” The rejoinder from the ghost of Jacob Marley supplies an effective commentary on the great avoca- I tion before us at Christmastide: "Business,” cried the ghost, wringing his hands again. "Mankind was my business. The common wel fare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” ' And so it was! And so It may be! ] not understand the new system will I have difficulty if they learn about it |for the first time in the midst of an accident. Those who do understand it, ‘however, will find it both simple and protective. That is the reason this \ statement is being issued.” i ] Tax Reminder j On January 1 both personal and corporation income taxes are scheduled to be reduced. This means that the deduction for a gift made before the first of the year will result in higher tax savings than one made subsequent I to January 1. Under current tax rates, indi- The law protects you against irresponsible drivers. But it also makes it important that you be able to" prove your ability to pay if you are held responsible in an accident. The cheap est and best way to protect your driving privi leges is thru insurance. That is why YOUR insurance agent joins with others to urge all drivers ..to find out what the law requires and be prepared to meet its' demands. Don’t take a chance on losing your right to drive. viduals in high income brackets and companies in the excess tax 1 bracket can make a substantial contribution at small net cost to the giver. , U. S. Army’s ‘Splinter’ i Fleet Remains Busy | At Pacific Outpost ’ NAHA, Okinawa —One of the busi est fleets in the Pacific is operated by the U. S. Army. The tiny fleet—a 68-vessel Army though one of the smallest in the world—is doing a big business in sup plying food, clothing, gasoline and oil and other vital supplies to military installations on Okinawa and to other islands in the Ryukyus chain. , The tiny fleet—a 68-veasell Army Transportation Corps flotilla with home port here—also includes large tugs used for berthing ships at Naha Harbor and White Beach, for mak ing ocean tows and aiding ships in distress in the China and Philippine seas. * , The ships are operated by soldiers and American and native civilians. They range in size from 20-foot J boats used to carry passenger? and light cargo to 200-foot LSM’s (land ing ship, medium) which carry tanks and other vehicles. The fleet is under supervision of Lieutenant Colonel Edward A. Jaggie of Damont, N. J., who formerly was connected with two well-known United States commercial steamship lines. Movement and control of ships is directed by Lieutenant Leon A. Thom as of St. Petersburg, Fa., harbor mas ter. He regulates all floating traffic NOTICE! The Singer Sewing Center of Elizabeth City - will be open, by appointment, for couples or s persons desiring to shop for Christmas pur chases. Our large stock includes Singer Sew ing Machines, Vacuum Cleaners, Notions, etc. “EVERYTHING FOR THE WOMAN WHO SEWS”' Toll free calls for people in Edenton area. Call Operator and ask for Enterprise 600. Singer Sewing Center 605 East Main Street Phone 4306 ELIZABETH CITY, N. C. - - * ' \ 4 ,Wv^ HI 'V - -T.t;; -rWLdI m mtt -S £*—-• 81 !■'? "’’■III yji— lu , , -vHB. - THB