The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-10-20
TRAFFIC RULES.

there will be others in the future.
But we have been singularly free
form such accidents as compared
with the records of other towns. But
with the increasing number Of motor
driven machines, propelled with a
powerful agency like gasoline, it is
too much to expect that some acci-
dent will not occur, which aside from
the loss and damage/to our people,
may result in great grief and sorrow
at times. The feelings of sorrow will
not be confined to those who are in
jured, but to those who may be the
innocent cause of injury to others
The accidents which have lately
occurred in the city may well warn
those of us who operate these cars
and the public generally that meas
ures for the protection Of the public
from these injuries are imperative.
Only by strict adherence to traffic
rules reasonably made and strictly
enforced may we expect to have a
minimum of such accidents. Z
The city council and the police au-
thorities have been diligent lately in
the enforcement of the ordinance
against operating cars at night with
out proper lights. The ordinance is a
good one, and should be strictly en-
forced. But this ordinance is not as
important as some others. And to
these we would direct. the attention
of the city authorities and the public.
There is am ordinance in the city
requiring all vehicles to take the
right side of the street. This is in our
Judgment one of the most important
ordinances for the protection Of the
public, and of automobile drivers al
we'll. With its enforcement, and it
can be enforced on the paved streets,
will come less and less danger from
these vehicles. "-... .... -.
Of course there will be accidents
from fast and sometimes reckless
driving. The speeders should be
curbed and brought before the city
authorities. But a speeder is no more
dangerous than careless operator of
one of these cars. A man who drives
a car at ten miles an hour may be a
more dangerous man at the steering
wheel than one who drives twenty
miles an hour. This is, true when the
man at the wheel thinks it is his duty
to inspect all the tall buildings as he
goes along the streets, to watch out
for friends, and otherwise view the
landscape over. Such person is en-
tirely unfit for the operation of an
automobile. ~. -
Then again the careless pedestrian
is an agency for trouble. People cross
the streets without looking for cars,
walk from behind buildings, or from
behind other vehicles and never look
to see whether another vehicle is COM
ing, either motor driven or other
wise. An automobile driven at even
a slow rate of speed cannot always
be stopped in time to. save people of
this class from injury. 1t takes an
appreciable moment of time to push
the brake in and throw the clutch out,
and the car will roll few feet at
best. That may mean injury to the
careless pedestrian. 1t often does, and
statistics, according to our informa-
ton, show that large percentage of
accidents occur from this cause. An
other thing pedestrian ought always
to remember is that he can stop
more quickly than car and he should
take no chances. Let the car have the
right of way where there is danger
Of an accident.
If there is not an ordinance on the
ordinance books of the city council
there should be one requiring all
drivers of cars, wagons and buggies
coming out of side streets into main
streets to stop at the curb and see
that the way is clear before proceed
ing. Only yesterday we saw car 60
ing up North Main Street at very
slow rate of speed. AS it proceeded a
truck of weA-known merchant dash
ed out of the yard between the Has
ris Garage and the Baker Medicine