The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-15
THE RULE OF THE ROAD.

The Tribune has been frequent in
urging the rule that persons meeting
on the sidewalks should always turn
to the right, This for the purpose Of
convenience, uniformity, and to pre-
vent confusion and collisions. A cor
respondent calls attention to this, and
asks us TO explain on that basis the
following despatch from Paris which
appeared in the New York Times:
PARIS. Nov. 19.-Pending the time
when special motor roads are expected
to form network over France, n Par
iamcntary committee Is busy drawing
up rulc Of the road for the country,
Each Department hitherto has seemed
TO possess its own rule, while In Paris
no rule is observed or enforced at all
meeting vehicles turning 10 the right or
left as IS most convenient for them,
The plan of the committee is to adopt
the English system Of keeping 10 the left.
This plan, which, as Americans will on
serve, Is the opposite Of the rule fol-
lowed lowed, in the United states he's t4i the apI
Public Works Arguments In favor OF
the Keep TO the Left rule take the
following shape:
The English rule of proceeding to the
left Is founded upon logic and good
sense. and Is the result of the expert
snee of a, people habituated to horses
OF tn road and yet sits over the right
wheel of his vehicle gives him a better
chance Of steering, with n wider margin
Of safety than the man who keeps TO
the right and cannot In consequence, see
how far OFF he is from his neighbor's
wheel The advantage is. also. 10 the
Cf vehicle. The keep TO the Right
style is condemned because OF the dan
ger, 20 which II exposes the man who Is
moving vehicle is unable TO the man
on foot until he is right upon him. There
have been a large number Of fatal acci-
dents for this very reason on French
roads.
Meanwhile, IL would be interesting. to
learn just how the Keep TO the Right
rule came TO be established In the United
States Was II invented ny the colonists
or did II become the fashion as sort
of anti-Britlsh demonstration at the time
OF the American Reyoltulon2
Tho correspondent will note that the
Paris despatch noted refers to the
rule Of the road in driving horses or
motor vehicles. 1t is, as stated, an
awkward thing for those sitting on the
right and meeting vehicle on the road
TO turn to the right. The natural thing
is for them TO turn TO the left, so that
the driver can the more clearly see
tho space between his own vehicle and
the one he is meeting. This should
have been the rule in this country as
we'll as in England But the rule of
the road for pedestrians is the re-
verse of that for vehicles. The colon
lists to this country from Great Britain
brought with them the rule of the pedes-
trian, which is TO turn to the right.
This from immemorial usage. Core
spondingly, they ought to have brought
with them the rule TO turn to the left
in driving, but they did not. On the
contrary, they seemed to consider that
the same rule should apply to driving
as to walking 1t does not logically ap-
ply at all. Quite the reverse. 1t would
be better if we had here a rule to turn
to the left in driving all kinds of vehi-
cles, including automobiles. 1t is too
late now, however, to undertake to
change that rule.
IN France, as noted in the despatch,
there is great confusion, one province
following the one rule and another the
other rule. In Paris there is no rule
at all. In seeking uniformity, there
fore, the French authorities arc natural
ly and logically following the rule to
the left, in driving vehicles. We should
be glad if that custom had been trans.
mitted TO US from Great Britain. 1t
is logical, convenient, and in every way
reasonable. But we don't have it; and
anyhow it has nothing to do with the
rule Of pedestrians, which is in Eng
land, as here, to turn to the right, and
that is what we are endeavoring to iu-
culcate on our sidewalks. 1t is the
rule of general application for those
who walk, and it ought TO be observed
by everybody, The pedestrian in old
times carried his shield on his left arm,
and it was defense when he walked in
place to tho right; but if he were bent
on attack he moved to the left, so rs
to give play to his right arm. Cor
respondingly, the knightly horseman
was a man of war, always belligerent,
and was bound 10 pass to the left, in
order to give play to his lance. And |
the men of war, whether afoot or on
horseback, laid down the law.