Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1925-02-04
AUTO DRIVERS DEFINED.
One Half Qualify While 95 Per Cent.
Have Good Intentions.

|
Auto drivers, declares the Auto
/ mobile Legal Association, may
| easily be divided into groups as to
! their fitness and ability to drive
But when we undertake this classify
ing, we realize how impossible is 60
| ing to be the task to satisfy everyone
| who sits at a wheel. If the business
of turning out auto drivers was a
! mathematical certainly, barring a
few natural and quite human mis-
takes, all would be good ones; but
we have not yet arrived at that stage
| and we are not likely to for some
time to come, if ever.
Grouped as to their general char
acteristics, we find that the one pos
sessing most of the qualifications
and consequently the one containing
the most drivers may be designated
as good drivers and listed as No. /.
AS opposed to No. |, we have No. 2,
the drunken and the reckless driver;
No 3, the needless, the careless, and
the inattentive; No 4, the timid,
over-cautious and the nervous; No. 5.
the discourteous and the road hog;
No. 6, the mentally and physically
unfit; No. Z, the purely ignorant and
well-meaning
What we can do, and what is
daily becoming necessity, is to use
more care in granting licenses. With
few exceptions, man driving a car
acts about the same, in regard to his
consideration of others, as when he
is not driving. This does not mean
that the few exceptions are the only
drivers who are not imbued with
the habit of safety and proper con-
sideration of others, because many
drivers who do not change much in
their attitude toward others when
they become drivers of cars, are al
ready badly equipped mentally to
have control of such vehicle
I What then, in general, constitutes
a good driver? Is he one who never
| has an accident? Is he one who is
| mentally, morally and physically fit
as well as mechanically inclined?
| Is he cautious, is he afraid to take
a risk or assume responsibility? Just
| how complete should be his educa-
| ton, and does his ability to be a
| perfect driver if such there be, de-
| pend upon the degree of his educa-
| ton or otherwise? Should college
professor, by reason of such, be given
| preference over graduate of a
| grammar school, other things being
equal, or should it be assumed that
his education alone entities him,
passed as a driver
A good driver is not beyond max
| ing a mistake A fair definition of
| a good driver, in the opinion of the
| A. l.. A., would read something like
| this:
/. Education sufficient to read and
| to understand English.
| 2. A fairly full knowledge of road
rules and car operation, and a
| willingness to use them.
| 8. Physically fit to drive and men
| tally alert to act.
! 4. A due consideration of the
rights of others.
| s. A sense of personal response
| bility toward all users of the streets
and highways
Any person possessing these quail
| fications, all reasonable, could not
| help being a good safe driver, and
| accidents, now due to careless opera
| tions, less those due to the per-
versity Of inanimate things, would
be surprisingly reduced.
Unfortunately, however, good in
| tentions do not prevent accidents and
| any driver lacking one or more or
the five qualifications is on the wrong
| side of safety.