The Washington herald., 1922-01-08
MD. RIGHT or WAY
RULE IS COMMON
SENSE, DECLARED
Says Driving in City
Streets Has Become
Nerve-Racking
By o. /. YELLorr.

A few days ago Z had occasion
to be In the hearing room Of the
commissioner of motor vehicles Of
Maryland with a member of the
Automobile Club OF Maryland,
whose car had been struck by an
other car coming from tho drivers
right.
Cases Involving violations OF the
right-of-way rule are Of frequent
occurrence In the Traffic Court,
civil and criminal courts, and be-
fore the commissioner of motor We
hicles. was interested toNsee just
how this provision of the motor
vehicle law was being interpreted
in the office OF the commissioner.
Paragraph 1853 of the motor We
hicle law reads, in para, as fol-
lows:
"Ali vehicles shall have the right
of way over other vehicles ap-
preaching at interesting roads
from the left spd shall give right
Of way to those approaching from
the right"
In the case Of the member In
whose interest had gone before
the commissioner IT seems that he
was crossing street Intersection
at a moderate rate OF speed. with
nothing in sight on his right but
an auto delivery about Tl5 feet
away. As the member in question
had but about forty feet to go.
whereas the delivery wagon had
about us feet to go. he thought
he could make the crossing in
safety. But the delivery Wagon
y
and they reached the far side of
time, the delivery wagon running
into the right rear wheel Of the
member in question. and the col
lision resulting in damage to both
cars.
The member had been fined in
the Traffic Court. and was then
summoned to appear before the
commissioner and show cause why
his license to operate should not
be suspended He thought he had
a clear case in view OF the high rate
of speed at which the truck on his
right was going. but when he came
before Deputy Commissioner For
wood. who hears all such cases.
he found his case was not quite as
clear as he thought II was.
The sum and substance of Mr..
Forwood's ruling in this case. and.
as he tells me. in all other similar
cases, was about as follows:
The law says that the man on
the right shall have the right Of
way. and that Is all there is to it.
The fact that he is going too fast
may be a reason for convicting
him OF reckless driving or violating
the speed law. but is no excuse
for the other man breaking the
law. too, and violating the right
of-way rule. Whenever an opera
tor undertakes to cross a street in
tersection in the path OF an APP
preaching vehicle. no matter how
far away IT may be. he does SO at
his own risk, and il a collision &C.
ours he will be held to blame for
II. The question of how far away
the oncoming vehicle from the
right is does not make any diff
ference. The law does not specify
any distance at which il will be
safe TO cross in front OF a vehicle
coming from the right 1t would
be impossible to lay down any
general rule on this subject and
unwise to make a particular rule
in each particular case. The best
rule is the rule as laid Gown by
the law itself, and that Is that the
man coming from the right has
the right Of way"
During the course Of his remarks
Mr.. Fordwood stated that this was
the rule as applied by the Traffic
Court almost uniformly. and was
also the rule applied in the civil
and criminal courts.
1t Is hard enough these days
with the multitude Of motor We
hicles on the streets coming from
all directions, for an operator to
keep his eyes open for the man on
the right 1t is infinitely more
difficult and nerve-racking in the
extreme to keep ones eyes open
for vehicles coming from the left
as well as from the right. Driv-
ing in the city streets has ceased
to be a pleasure and has become
almost wholly a test of ones nerve
Within the past three or four
months I have been hit from all
four sides.
If ] could only feel that all !
had to look out for was the man
In front of me and the man on my
right. driving would again become
a pleasure.
Meanwhile it would help a lot IL
we could all get Mr.. Forwood,s
conception of the right of-way rule
and live up to it.-Automobile Club