Semi-weekly herald., 1916-07-27
WILD AUTO
DRIVERS ARE
A MENACE

The one object that is attracting
attention these days more than any
other, excepting the war and political
questions, is the one OF auto speeding.
1t is true that the speeding belongs
more to the novice in the business
and not so much to the person who
has become accustomed to driving a
car Some of our new drivers feel
like the little boy with his first pair
of red top boots. However, not all
of the speed maniacs are new men in
the business.
A number of drivers do not seem
to realize that there is time and
place for everything. They do not
seem to realize that speeding in busy
streets is not only dangerous but is
very inconvenient and discourteous
to others who care to use the streets
at the same time. They do not seem
to realize how dangerous it is TO speed
around sharp curves whether in the
streets or country roads.
1t is believed and sincerely hope'l
that as the novelty of the automobile
passes away that the careless driver
will drive with the same consideration
that he used when he drove his much
admired span of bays or blacks.
While there is much compliant here
about fast driving perhaps there is
no more speeding here than elsewhere
under similar conditions. A Denver
exchange quotes P. f. Chamberlain
car distributor, as follows on this
subject.
"The day of the wild driver is
passing. The man who insists upon
driving his car around corners at
30 miles an hour and making
pedestrians scamper every time he
appears on the streets is no longer
being tolerated. The big city already
has dealt with him without gloves.
The motor policemen are constantly
on the lookout for him, and if he
doesn't live up to the traffic and
speed regulations he must explain it
to a judge next morning. Let him
fail to mend his ways and his license
to drive is taken away from him.
"The big city has no sympathy for
this type of driver, nor should the
smaller centers tolerate HIM either.
But what is more to the point, they
are not going to do it much longer.
There has came about even a strong
er influence than regulation by law,
and this influence is growing daily.
| 1t seems to consist of general growth
of opinion among motorists, that this
kind of driving is no longer "the
thing Motorists are frownIng upon
their fellow drivers who run wild.
They are letting them see, by word
and action, that they do not approve
of their disregard for the rights of
others, and the careless or reckless
driver today finds that he is becoming
unpopular. He finds, too, that his
friends do not hesitate to criticise
him on this score and that they do
not like to ride with him.
"The result of this feeling is that
during the past year great improve
ment in the way cars are driven has
come about all over the country. The
improvement has been very notice
able. The driver who used to rush
his car by you at fifty miles an hour
with the cut-out wide open, almost
grazing your running board and
throwing clouds of dust upon you and
| the passengers in your car, refrains
from this now. If he comes up be-
hind you and is driving faster than
you are he will usually signal and
when you turn your car out will
come by slowly and thank you as he
passes. You too, instead of holding
your car in the middle of the road,
gladly give him right of way. The
driver who used to delight in making
pedestrians scamper at the crossings
waits now for them to cross. There