J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                     1165

Section 405 thereof and to be under the new sub-title "Vehicle
Equipment Safety Compact", to authorize the entry of the State
into the Vehicle Equipment Safety Compact, to relate generally to
development and adoption of uniform standards for new or
improved motor vehicle safety equipment, to provide for the
State's representation on the Vehicle Equipment Safety Commis-
sion and for the manner of adoption of the recommendations of
the Commission in this State, and to provide for appropriations
and staff for the Commission by the states which are parties to
the Compact.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Sections 406 through 428, inclusive, be and they are hereby
added to Article 66½ of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957
Edition and 1964 Supplement), title "Motor Vehicles", to follow
immediately after Section 405 thereof and to be under the new sub-
title "Vehicle Equipment Safety Compact", and to read as follows:

Vehicle Equipment Safety Compact
406.

The Vehicle Equipment Safety Compact is hereby enacted into law
and entered into with all other jurisdictions legally joining therein in
the form substantially as follows:

Vehicle Equipment Safety Compact
407.

ARTICLE I
Findings and Purposes

(a)  The party states find that:

(1)  Accidents and deaths on their streets and highways present a
very serious human and economic problem with a major deleterious
effect on the public welfare.

(2)  There is a vital need for the development of greater inter-
jurisdictional cooperation to achieve the necessary uniformity in the
laws, rules, regulations and codes relating to vehicle equipment, and
to accomplish this by such means as will minimize the time between
the development of demonstrably and scientifically sound safety
features and their incorporation into vehicles.

(b)  The purposes of this compact are to:

(1)  Promote uniformity in regulation of and standards for equip-
ment.

(2)  Secure uniformity of law and administrative practice in
vehicular regulation and related safety standards to permit incor-
poration of desirable equipment changes in vehicles in the interest
of greater traffic safety.

(3)  To provide means for the encouragement and utilization of
research which will facilitate the achievement of the foregoing pur-
poses, with due regard for the findings set forth in subdivision (a)
of this Article.