Der Nordstern. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1874-1931, 1922-11-02
INDICATIONS OF
CORRECT DRIVER.
Something More Needed Than.
Being Able to Stop, Start and
Guide Car Along Road.
SOME UGLY DRIVING TRICKS
Among Most Common Practices That
Result In Accidents Are Starting
Ahead In Second Speed and Re.
taxing Vigilance.

The test Of a good driver is not
whether he is able to stop, start and
guide the car along the road, but
whether he is invariably c~onsiderate
Of the mechanism of his own vehicle
and of the feelings, eccentricities and.
safety of all other users Of the road.
IF a man drives well in every respect
except that he expects all pedestrians
to know how to walk, all eQuestrians
to know how to ride, and all motorists
to know how to run a car, he is still
a n Of the highways.
There are some bad driving tricks
which are encountered every time you
60 out-ignoring the nght-of-way rule.
cutting corners, swinging around a
corner without first going close to the
curb, cutting in On the wrong side of
a car,
The careless, unmannerly driver is
q poor driver, even though he may be
expert In car control.
The simple mechanics Of driving
the steering, the manipulation of gear
shift lever, pedals and 50 on-are
easily mastered. But the record Of
crumpled tenders, damaged lamps, and
wayside wrecks tell the story that a
whole lot Of motor car n do not
know how to drive.
Result in Accidents.
Among the most common practices
that result in needless accidents may
be mentioned the following examples:
The first driver, Mr.. A., was very
proud of the cars acceleration equip
ment. After being held up by con-
gested traffic he always started In.
second and was going twenty miles
an hour before slower cars had got
into motion.
One day he relaxed his customary
vigilance and piled head-on into the
rear of another If. First result,
Two bent tenders and no headlights
on his own car, plus two sheered
spring clips on the. car ahead, total
ing a repair cost Of $3.50. Second re-
suit, arising from stopping too quick
~: Demolished rear luggage carrier,
and the total eclipse Of the lights
on the car which bumped him from be-
hind. Because he failed to put out his
hand on stopping. Mr.. g. assumed re-
sponsibility for the damage to the
overtaking car-and it cost him about
a hundred silver dollars to learn that
he didn't know how to drive.
=.z -%earF@E
Next in line comes Mr.. B. He was
such a good driver that he could af-
ford to be careless. He prided himself
on knowing the bumps and other pc
%culiarities Of all: roads in his neigh
borhood. But one night after a heavy
rain he was loafing along at so miles
an hour when his car bounced in and
out of a hole which had been caused
by undermining water, and he s.ins
dulged in two new springs and a
rather expensive e a axle assembly.
He is now a better driver than he
was.
Could. Divide His Brain.
Here we find Mr.. d. E. Eff, to whom
driving had become like second nature.
He could divide his brain into two
parts, reserving the m for guiding,
the car around corners, speeding it up,
and down hills, avoiding bad spots
in the road, and SO on; and utilizing
the other for entertaining his guests.
He could laugh and tell droll stories
which provoke his friends into gales
Of merriment. But n day he glanced
around to e how the point Of a story
had been taken, and just then a tele-
phone pole grew up in what he thought
was the middle OF the road. His
spirit is now motoring down the long,
long trail.