Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-06-20
FLIVERBOOB A MENACE
Fools Who Drive Cars Have
New Name-Application is
Just About Right.

4&AES
(By Erwin Greer, President Greer
College of Automobile Engineer
ing)
The next time one of those fools
who break their necks looking one
way while they drive another
nearly runs you down, turn
around and yell after him, "Fliv-
verboob!' That is the name which
he is. to be known, according to
the American Automobile associa-
ton.
Why supposedly sane men will
drive at top speed is an unsolv-
able mystery. Yet the speed artist
is only one type of fivverboob.
Another type is the mud splash
er." He is the fellow who dashes
up to a mud-puddle near the curb
and sends mud and water all over
you. He likes to hear you cuss
and the women scream.
Explosion Hound" Another
Then there is the muffler explo-
sion hound; you know him The fell
low with some powerful bus who
rushes down the street making ex-
plosions in his muffler. If you
are opposite when he goes by you
nearly throw a fit from fright,
much to the high glee of himself
and to the disgust and contempt
and antagonism of everyone else.
The graze-you g;nk's special de-
light is to come as close to- your
carefully groomed car as he pos
sibly can without actually strik-
ing it. Often he miscalculates
and the result is that your ma
chine Immediately resembles his,
with denied mud guards and
broken hub caps. If you try and
collect damages you find that he
owes money on his car and that
you are out of luck.
The brake burner is another
one of the clan; he also has a
murderous complex. He comes on
at a sizzling speed and then, clap!
on goes his brakes, like the seiz-
ure of a fit. His tires scrape with
loud remonstrance on the pave
ment, his car lenses and groans,
the brakes shrek all expecting
the sudden Grassland then,
through the fine and lofty purpose
of the car builder, things some
how hold together and an accident
that time is averted. This method
of action gets to be a habit and
eventually a cotterpin pulls out
and then
A relative of his is the fear fan
attic who energies suddenly from a
side street Eyes, even upon our
boulevards). Approaching cars
dodge and swing from his path,
trying to prevent accident. The
hearts of passengers leap to their
Threats, frightened grips are
clamped on the nearest support,
screams break from the ladies and
usually, by astral influence that
guards the fate of fools,he is saw
ed-usually. By the grace of the
great body of honorable motorists,
he is usually.
The safety zone fox is another
one. He comes sailing down the
street to the left of long line
of automobiles waiting to cross a
street intersection and tries to
break into the line at the safety
zone. If he can't get in he blocks
the street cars because he is out
on the tracks. And there is al
way some motorist that has to let
him into line so that traffic can
move again.
And then comes the fiivverbooh
who tries to beat the locomotive
over the crossing. He is too well
known to take up in detail.
A total Of $4,500,000 was paid
out in death claims by American
insurance companies for the H.
600 fiivverboobs (and the victims)
killed on the highways last year
In addition to the fatalities there
were 100000 non-fatal injuries
Which makes us wonder