The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-09-08
AUTO ACCIDENTS.

Safety on the public highways de-
Ponds, and must depend very largely
upon the ability of the motorist to
give adequate warning of the ap-
proach of his car. 1t is for this rea-
son that statutes are being more Wig
orously enforced which require the
automobilist to sound his horn at all
obviously dangerous crossings and
points where congestion OF traffic
may occur.
THE history of countless accidents
has shown that failure to observe
these requirements has contributed
to more than majority of the smash
ups and collisions which come before
| the public eye.
Therefore, it would certainly seem
that the day of the bulb horn is past.
At best, this device with its feeble
Indispensable 'honk"--is an absolute
" inadequate warning signal. 1t has
neither the power to warn at any
distance, nor the consistency to per-
form its task in uniform manner It
seems to delight in uttering any de-
gree of sound which varies from a
cultural cough to a wheeze of the
staccato type. Surely, there can be
no argument for such continuance
when life and property are dependent
upon the performance of its duty. 1t
is the almost universal opinion of
police officials and experienced motor
lists that the bulb-horn must go-and
these two bodies form the last court
of appeal on public highway regula-
ton.
The signal OF the motor car must
be imperative. 1t must be an uncom-
promising authoritative command
not weak, apologize gasp. The eff
ficient signal must be ready for in
slant use at all tines under all cir
cumstances. Otherwise it is mis-
nomer of very dangerous character
and menace to all vehicles and
pedestrians on the highway.
There are doubtless many of us
who have been startled into unusual
activity at the strident tones of the
really efficient motor car signals,
and, at the time, We have resented
what seemed to be an unnecessary
offense to our self-respect.
However, the streets and highways
are no place to dream, and there is
small satisfaction in being lulled into
a false senes of security when dan
ger is at hand. The warning signal
nuisance is very largely a public
veal The very signals which I'M
thinking people condemn have been
perhaps the means of driving your
child from the path of an oncoming
car; whereas, the obsolete bulb horn
would have been altogether ineffec-
tive.
There is, of course, and always
will be, the malicious smart motor
list. The smart Aleck' is deep rooted
at intervals in the human species,
and we can't keep him out of the
motor car. 1t is with him that we
Iind the real motor signal nuisance
-he delights in running up quietly
behind his unsuspecting victim and
emitting a blasting roar from his sig
nal that is quite as bad as the stroke
OF death.
Furthermore, he takes fiendish
pleasure in rousing all sleeping ham,
lets and villages when there is abso-
lutely no occasion for any such pro-
ceeding. Such actions, OF course, do
constitute a nuisance 1t is only
mistaken, unhappy sence of humor at
work, though, an this gentleman
together with the bulb nonentity-
should be relegated to fields, not
green, but barren The abuse of
privilege should not condemn such
truly worthy and necessary device as
the efficient motor car signal