The Washington times., 1925-05-20
With the
|AlibiArtists.
la Cross Section of the
| Daily Grind in Judge
Schuldt's Court.
Read EN- and Weep
By DONALD McDOUGAL.
Not HOg.Tight.


The right of way rule. under
the new regulations, reads:
A vehicle approaching a street
intersection shall slow down and
be kept under such control as
to avoid colliding with other ve-
hicIes. Operators of vehicles ap-
preaching a street intersection
from the left shall look out for
and give the right-Of-way to We
hicles approaching from the
right. Provided, that a vehicle
making a right or left hand turn
shall give the right-Of-way to
through traffic.
Careful reading of that regula-
ton shows several good points
that don't appear on the sur
face, and We'll take slant at
'em before digging up the bad
ones.
The old rule, as 1t worked out
in court practice, meant that the
driver who reached the inter
section first, had the right of
way. Records of 700 colliding cases
show about as many drivers COM
ing from the right were held re-
sponsible for the accident, as those
coming from the left.
The one who got there first
walked away with the decision,
like a couple of sprinters in a
hundred-yard dash, and that
didn't help any to discourage
speeding at intersections.
The new regulation says Nix
on the speed-you've got to slow
down at intersections" And it
puts the whole thing up to the
man on the left, where it be.
longs.
The man on your left has got
to cross nearly a whole street
before he reaches the ,colliding
point, and you only have to run
a little beyond the curb line. He
has a longer distance to travel.
and that gives him more time to
think the thing over and decide
to put on his brakes.
Under this new rule a driver is
relieved of about one-third of his
troubles at intersections-he can
concentrate his attention on the
front and right. where it's most
needed.
1t is from the right curb that
children hop suddenly under your
wheels for a ball: IT is from your
right that jay-walkers dodge out
from between parked cars look
ing the wrong way; it is from
your right that interested readers
step onto the walk, with
their noses buried in newspapers.
These people need watching
more than the man on your left
does, and the new regulation let's
you watch them. It's an organiza-
tion-of-responsibility sort Of sr-
rangement. and assigns the duty
to the man best able to perform
it instead of needlessly loading
up both.
That's the showcase view of it.
so to speak-the way it looks in
the store. When you bring it
along home and try to make it
work. you find there's two classes
of motorists that are likely to
gum the proposltlon-the smart
alecks and the dim-wits.
The smart aleck is the kind of
boob that runs over on the wrong
side OF the street TO sem1circle In
front Of you at an intersection, or
passes you On a straight-away
and cuts in so close that he hooks
your fender on his rear bumper
anything to get ahead of the other
man. and show how much at homo
he is behind Il steering wheel.
When this afflicatio sees you
slowing up at the intersection, as
the regulations require. he sets
you down for II 1Ool-the idea of
obeying the law when there's no
officer around to make you do il!
Look at that sap" he says to
himself, watch me cut circles
around him." Slowing up at an
intersection with one of these SUI.
permen around. is an invitation to
hog the right of way.