The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-06-18
AVOID ACCIDENT
BY SELF.APPLIED
ROAD DISCIPLINE
NO BRIGHT LIGHTS
Driving Manners Needed to
Minimize Avoidable Motor
Collisions.

Road manners may be described
as voluntary regulations. which
tend to give greater safety to all
pedestrians and road users. and
which are adhered to by the
thoughtful driver because he real
ICES what intense annoyance can
be given by their nonobservance,
says the Car. This is better
spirit than the one of revenge, the
one which causes the motorist to
keep to the crown of the road
when another and faster car wishes
to pass him.
One OF the most widely neglected
rules in the code Of motor manners
is that which condemns swinging
across the front of another vehicle
Immediately after passing ii. This
is often the result of trying to get
in front of a slower vehicle with
out allowing sufficient space for
oncoming traffic. This means that,
in order to avoid being crushed.
the car must be turned to the
right as soon as 1t is a bonnet's
length ahead of the other vehicle.
Haste sometimes makes otherwise
polite drivers resort to this ma
neuver. but it causes so much in
convenience and. in some cases.
danger that II ought. under all cir
cumstances. to be studiously avoid
cd. The need for speed is only
sufficiently urgent to excuse IL in
one case in a thousand.
The habit Of overtaking on cor
al, Ia-
the category of bad driving than
bad manners, for, assuming normal
speeds and a road So narrow that
there is room for only two cars
abreast. no conceivable maneuver
can be made either by the driver
of the overtakinC car. the over
taken one. or the oncoming one
Cshould this appear at the corner)
which can avert an accident. 1t is
obvious to everyone who uses his
car daily that this practice is made
use Of so frequently as to be al
most a generally accepted one. The
chances of all the three cars meet
ing under exactly the conditions
required to insure disaster are
very small. but If the habit is re-
sorted to il means that a chance is
being taken; that luck is being en-
tirely relied upon for the safety of
the car and its occupants. No
avoidable chances should ever be
taken on the road. Remember that
every driver except yourself is
fool. and that it will take you all
YOUR time to prevent being run
into. apart from risking running
INTO anything else. Let the youth
ful sportsman also remember that.
71thouEh he may not object to COM
hitting suicide. there are others
who prefer to continue their ex-
silence in this world.
When driving in towns a course
should he followed approximately
pc closely as possible to a straight
line. Every deviation should be
clearly indicated. This does not
refer solely to the recommended
method Of hand signaling. which
sHould. Of course. be strictly adj
HNred to. but also to the cars path
~ travel. For instance. II cross
roads are arrived at. and II is in
tended to turn. the hand should be
bold out. hut. besides this the car
should be made to bear slightly to
rasS. The Importance Of this indi-
cation by the movements Of the
c7r is. in reality. much greater tina,
hand signaling. for il removes any
doubt that NAV exist in the minds
n following drivers. Avoid sud-
dNr turn.
The brakes are eo much relied
uDon by some drivers that thew are
said to drive on their brakes" and
naturally this practice is to hn
danreciated. The hralIin~ effort diff
fors enormously on different We
hicles. and the greatest inconven-
fence is caused To overtakinC traffic
nv using the brakes in an fncon-
siderate manner. Violent acceIera-
tion. on the other hand. does no
road manners. though il is to be
condemned on account of the tire
wear il causes
In the same way that some driv-
ers are said to drive on their
brakes IL would he equally iusti
cable to say that some drive on the
horn. The practice is altogether
had. " creates the impression
that motorists are selfish and con-
slider themselves entitled to the
right of way: II is dangerous in
the extreme. and it is the most
certain way Of inviting proceed
ines being taken for dangerous
driving.
The question Of dazzling head