The morning call., 1893-09-24

/ was driving near the park recently
when [ witnessed a catastrophe that but
for fragrant neglect of fixed rules in driy-
ing would never have occurred. There
were three parties to the occurrence, of
whom two were guilty and one innocent.
The street was wide one-there was no
necessity for the accident.
Just i'll front of me two ladies were
driving spirited pony to village cart.
In front of them was gentleman IN a
light road wagon drawn by high
free-stepping bay going at very leisurely
pace. Both these turnouts were on the
right-hand side of the road. Coming
toward them on the same side was team
pulling hack. the driver of which should
have known he was out of his rightful
place. There was a cabe-car track IN the
middle of the street, and he should have
been on the other side of that dividing
line. There was room on this side, how
ever, for all of US, Notwithstanding the
teams wrong position. but for a mismove
on the part of the travellers in the cart.
Desiring to pass the gentleman in front
of them they touched up the lively pony to
brisk gait and sheered ont of line to come
up on his right. There was room betwee
d
gone well, and, as frequently happens,
they might have committed with impunity
their infringement OF the rule Of he road,
but just at that moment the team and hack
were drawing near. In avoiding them the
gentleman very properly turned 10 his
right-turning further than did the driver
o the hack, In obedience 10 another rule
that gives the heavier rig the right of way.
He turned, however, just iD time TO come
into collision with the pony and cart be-
hind him. He did not know they were
there-they had, in fact, no business to be
there. One of the p0ny's fore legs went
between two spokes of hind wheel OF the
road wagon. There was a plunge and a
scream. Crash went several spOkes of the
wheel and crash, at the same time, went a
shaft of the cart. 1t hung on by the trace
loop and the jagged end thrust itself into
the pony's flank, while the alarmed anlma
hltched TO the broken rOadcart went piung-
ing up the street on a run. lttook several
bypassers to hold the pony and assist the
frightened ladies to alight. and they then
began roundly TO rate the gentleman for
driving across their road"
Now, there are certain rules of driving
that no one should be ignorant of. In the
East ami in England they are strenouSly
insisted upon. On this coast, however, the
general rule seems to be to go as you
please, and TO this most of our driving
accidents may be attributed. To begin
with, the hack should have been on the
right-haud side of the street coming down.
as the other rigs were on the right-hand
side going up. Even as it was, however,
no accident would have occurred had the
Dony's driver followed this simple and
well-established rule.
In meeting a team keep to the right. In
passing one turn to the left. By passing
We, Of course, understand oyertaking and
going BY" as the phrase is. driver who
is in front of u.s.
The reasons for this rule are obvious.
In the instance cited above had the
ladies turned to the left the driver of the
hack team would have seen them and
avoided them. They would have passed
the road wagon safely, coming up on its
left and on the right of the hack. The
driver of the roadster could not know that
they were behind him. 1t was his business
TO be looking forward and not back, and
his place To turn to the right TO avoid the
coming team. The proper course would
thus have been: