Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-10-11
For the Delaware Gazette.
EHE Law Or THE ROAD.

turn TO the right, each giving one-haI1
the road The rule in this country in
this particular being the reverse of the
English rule, which requires drivers to
turn to the IefC; the maxim there being,
S'if you turn TO the right you go wrong,
and if you turn TO the left you 90 right
This part of the law of the road is
very generally observed, except by
loaded teams. whose drivers seem to
suppose that they have a right to occupy
the middle of the road, and compel all
unIoaded carriages to turn out, though
the condition of the road may render it
exceedingly difficult to do so.
AS matter Of politeness a person in
a light carriage would usually give the
road to a team with heavy lOSd, es-
pecialiy if met coming up hill. But
the law does not require this-the driv-
er being bound to keep on the proper
side of the road }N dtE cases, except
where there are no other carriages
interrupt, or, except IT be necessary to
aroid same other obstruction.
Usually in case of injuries by cOllis-
ions the party who is out Of his proper
place in the road is liable in damages
for the injury sustained. But this is
not always the case. If the horses be-
come uumanageable or from some 9TH
er cause carriages turn to the wrong
side of The road, without the fault Of
the diver, and the driver of the team
with which iG comes in collision is able
to change its situation in time t0 avoid
the accident, it is his dutytO give way
although IA so doing he goes to the
wrong Sid Of the road. As general
can recover.
When carriages pass, going the so4Be
lCa4J, the foremost driver is req Uired to
turn to the teft, giving half the road for
the other to pass to the ght, OF of side.
Fhe carriage in front, if the one in the
rear is travelling at a faster pace, is
bound to turn out. This is the rule Of
/ common sense as we'll as of the COM
mon law, and it is astonishing how Of
ten we see well informed men. men who
claim to be gentlemen, disregarding il.
MANY persous seem to think that if s
traveller desires to pass he must get by
! the best way he can; and more times
/ We see persons who are so ignorant of
1.-THE law of the land and the law OF po-
Z likeness and good breeding. that they
Iiuerease the speed of their team to pre-
/ vent persons from passing when it is
I obvious they are travelling at a moro
rapid pace. Persons refusing to give
the road to allow others to pass in such
I cases, are liable for damages resulting
1 from accidents they occasion. With
/ our wide roads, before tney we're thrown
I up in making turnpikes, the necessity
/ of the strict observance of these rules
I in passing was not so great. But now,
as we are beginning to enjoy the COM
1 fort of gravel roads, which. with our
/ severe freezing and thaWing, can only
| be kept in good condition when quite
rounding, and therefore narrow, it is
! travellers to observe the accommodating
spirit of the rules of the law to avoid
| accidents aud law suits.
1t must not be inferred from what has
4 been said above that person has the
/ right to compel another who may be in
| the road in front, to turn out for him to
pass nleTely because he wishes to be
/ ahead in the road this right, as already
stated, exists only when the person in
the rear is travelling faster than the one
/ he a1iShes to pass.
/ Where carriages meet at q crossing,
/ the rule of the law is, that the driver
/ who by bearing to he LETT, would pass
/ behind the team crossing in front, shall
/ be required to turn out to the left for
! that purpose, This rule enables parties
always to determine which carriage
| shall pass behind when meeting at right
/ angles.
# we have occasion to stop upon the
road the law, as well as a due regard to
/ the rights of others, requires that we
/ should not stop our team in the middle
/ of the highway, so as to compel per-
sons passing to drive out into the side
bitches, as we are sometimes Obliged to
I do, especially when two selfish drivers
meet, and with both their carriages
| stopped, occupy the aDisoLe road!
1t may be proper to state that the
| rules requiring drivers to keep on the
proper side of the road are not expected
to be strictly observed in the streets of
/ towns and cities, In the country the
road-bed is one, required by law to be
one rod wide, rendering the passage Of
teams almost impossible without the
existence and observance of esta blished
rules. But the streets of GOWNS are
from go to 100 feet wide and so improv-
ed that carriages may drive upon any
part of them. Besides, it frequently
happens in crowded streets that SO
many carriages meet, that it is impract-
ieaI for the drivers to occupy the proper
side Of the road in passing. All that
can, therefore, be said in these cases is
that each driver must use all due an
proper care TO avoid zaccidents-that
teams ought not be left Standing in the
streets, especially they should not be left
standing at crossings, or in the way of
others. Parties have the right to use
streets and highways for tTGUeLLi5tg par
poses O11Lg-tbey have no right TO OBJ
stTuct them.
In most towns local ordinances pro-
vide penalties for fast driving, but inde-
pendent of these provisions, when acci-
dents happen from fast driving the
guilty party is liable in damages for
injuries sustained. BUCKEYE.