Evening star., 1925-07-05
tBACK-SEAT' DRIVER
HELD DANGEROUS
A. A. A. Head Says Passen-
gers Should Not Worry
= Person at Wheel.

r Contending that the need for
! better behavior on the part of those
(. persons who travel as motor car pas
4 sengers is just as vital to safety as
!, the need for better drivers, the
!, American Automobile Association
I places much of the blame for the
1 high automobile accident rate on the
/ occupants of the motor car rear seats.
/ Many accidents have their origin In
I the thoughts and actions of the mem
. oers OF the motor party, the A. A. A.
holds, and the result is the automo-
bile driver is frequently handicapped
by the inexperience Of the persons he
transports.
The a. a. A. belives the time has
come TO motorize the automobile pas
senger.
This work must supplement the
Job of motorizing the automobile
driver" explains President Thomas p
Henry. 1T goes without saying that
the man at the wheel must acquire
the motor sense of decency and safe
ty, but there has been a regrettabie
tendency to overlook the hazards Gre
ated by the people who sit in the
tonneau.'
Singing Proves Fatal.
Mr.. Henry cites one accident where
the drivers attention was distracted
by passengers request TO look at
remarkable bit of scenery while the
car was in motion. Another incident
revealed the driver becoming confused
in traffic because he felt obliged to
reply to a passengers specific and
rather complicated inquiry.
One of the most striking instances
of passenger influence revealed in the
a. A A. statement is the case of d
fatal accident which occurred as a
direct result of the passe ngers insist
ing upon singing while driving home
ward in the evening. The passengers
raised their voices above the sound of
the bell signal at the railroad crossing.
According TO Mr.. Henry the passen-
ger is morally obligated to assist the
driver in handling the car with safety.
The idea that it's all up to the driver
he says, is frequently the basis of
fatality.
MANY accidents have their origin
in the actions of members of the mo-
tor party" declares Mr.. Henry, "and
even the thoughts of the passengers
have their effect upon the driver. II
is a serious handicap to the operator
of the car. and unless he is extremely
skillful he is apt TO get lost in the en-
vironment of his passengers society
and forget his responsibilities.
Taxi Men Unaffected.
THE taxi driver is typical of the
type of driver who can so harden him.
self to his passengers as not to be in
fiuenced by them. Tell a passenger
car driver that you are nervous and
to be particularly careful to shift gears
calmly, and the chances are 10 to
that he will drive like dub. Tell the
same story to a taxi driver, and he'll
just drive in his usual way. 1t won't
affect him one way or the other.
"a taxi driver is experienced In
carrying a variety of passengers,
whereas the passenger car driver car
ries comparatively few persons in the
course of year and is thus inclined
to be very conscious of his guests
when they are aboard. If passengers
elect to be hilarious when in a taxi
the operator gives them very little
thought. They are simply fares, his
idea being to get them home as quick
ly as possible and without losing his
job through damaging the machine.