The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-04-27

THE LAW OF THE ROAD.

| WAS PIE IOOIll, says lllS Il OHuOu TtetU,
70 the plaintiff to have driv en- past the cart
on the left side, leaving thu farm cart on his
ri ght but, so thoroughly was Mr.. Stenton
imbued with the idea that there was some
magic in the near side, that, inst Fad of taking
adval t age on the free passage open to him on
the left, and delivering himself as he passed
of one of those pleasant lutte sallies some-
times heard on occasions like this Mr.. Stenton
conceiving tito be his duty t. overtake the cart
on the right nerved himself for the task, and
drove up on to tn footpath On the right or off
side. There was apparently insufficient room
for this maneuver; a collisi IN took place, ard
Mr.. Stentons dog cart and harness damaged to
to the extent of .f1O, which sum he sought
to recover. The judge having correctly
explained the law, pointing OFT that there
was nothing to show that any danger was
likely to have overtaken Mr.. Stenton had he
gone over to his wrong side nor suited the
plaintiff, but made no order as to COSTS"
In commenting upon the decis On the Field
adds: "The rule of the road is nothing more
than well known arrangement made to
facilitate taft. :, and 10 prevent yo vehicles
from performing sort pls de deur after
the fashion of 70 people who oft n dodge in
the same direction on meeting. If, therefore,
there be no especial circumst anc-s rendering
the contrary curse advisall', people riding
and driving should keep TO the raaular side of
the road. 1t is, OF ought to be perfectly well
known to riders and drivers TINT, if they meet
a man riding one horse and leading another,
they sho, pass on the side of the ridden
horse and not on that of the led one, at Rough
the doing SO may involve both parties going
to what is the wrong side.
Yet this is not law, it is merely whole
some precautlon; and, in the evelt of an
accident occurring through non-observance of
the general rul, the pers IN who cling slavish-
ly to the near side would not necessarily be
in the right. Nor again, is it any evidence of
negligence that man is driving on the wrong
side of the road The neal side may be heavy
or in broken condition; and, unless going
down hill, no decent coachman would drive
on heavy ground when a hard surface presen-
ted itself on the other side of the causeway;
no one, for example, would a few weeks ago
have driven on his proper side ofthe road when
travelling from Kingston to Hampton Court
If, however, whatever be the reason, any one
81 cts to drive on the wrong side of the road,
the obligation is cast on him of being ad-
ditonally careful, and of keeping a sharper
lookout han he might think il necessary to do
| were he OH the near side. 1t must at the
same time be remembered that if. for his own
private ends, man goes on the wrong side
| and becames thereby the cause of another
person meeting with an accident, the case may
be different: and if in the dark two vehicles
come into collision, the person on the wrong
side of the road is responsible for any injury
| which may result to the other conveyance, or
to the persons Of those seat ID IN it SO like
wise iii turning corners: If two vehicles
meet suddenly and collide with one another
| he who is on the wrong side will have to make
| good the DANA sc thus caused"
The rule of the road is not fixed by custom !
| but by law, in the United States. "Our sta
| tutes,' says Burton Willis Potter in his we'll
| known work, 'provide tn at when persons meet
each other on bridge or road, travelling with |
seasonably drive his carriage other vehicle |
to the right of the travelled par: of such bridge |
| or road So that their respective carriages or
| other VEHICLES may pass each other without |
interference; that one person passing another
going in the same direction must do so on the
left hand side of the middle of the road, and
# there is room enough the foremost driver
must not wilful'y obstruct the road" These
statutory rules, it is expl,ined are intended
for the use of and of an int ligent and civilz-
ed people and circumstances may arise to
justify deviation from them. But the driver
who fails to obey the lstter of the law must
be able to show that deviation owing to things
which he could not control, was the proper
ching to do.
person Oh the right side of the road has
no right to run purposelv into a ,aspass r.
'simply because he has wrongfully given him
the opportunity t, receive an injury, and then
'"yn r,.,'sl l'.d ,ue for damages arising from
"a own foo Ii ,rdness and devil-may- care con-
duct + s construction of the law meets
in a measnl, IT, Sh field decision and s. it
would seem tllt the rule Of the road is fl axibl,
whether fixed by custom of statute. "Where
there is occasion for one driver topass another
going in the same direction" says Potter,
''the foremost driver may keep the even tenor
of his way in the middle or on either side of
the road provided there is sufficient room for
the rear driver to pass by but if there is not
sufficient room, it is the duty of the foremost
driver to afford it by yielding equal share
of the road, if that be practicable but if not
then the object must be deferred till the
parties arrive at ground more favorable to, its,
accomplishment.
If the leading traveller then willfi:lly refuses
to comply, he makes himself lilble, cr.minally
to the penalty imposed by the statute, and
answered., at law i'll the rear traveller
suffers damage in consequence OF the delay"
Young men out for holi lay behind a horse
frequently obstruct, in misclievous spirit the
passage of some sedate- looking driver in the
rear. They do not dream that they are
subjecting themselves by such action to
prosecution. If they will heed the warning
we now give themthey will not incu. trouble
Some crusty driver IN ~ not relish their pranks
ami then they will have to answer in the
courts. A pleasant time for driving is in the
spring, and as this season is upon us and the
roads are getting into prime condition these
few remarks the the rule or law of the
road will not be found out of place.--Turt,