Evening star., 1931-12-06
NEW POINT OF VIEW PRESENTS
TRAFFIC AS ACCIDENT SAVER
Motorist Held Safer With Other Cars
and Drivers to Guide Him
Than When Alone.

I and do not come down firmly on the
pedal until the car Is nearly at stand
still. This is too late to be of value in
speeding the stop.
Just the reverse takes place when
driver finds that the car ahead is start
ing to stop. This Is clearly illustrated !,
by the way drivers frequently go to
the opposite extreme by slanlming on
the brakes If the stop signal Of the
car ahead flashes red.
Because he did not start stopping
soon enough, and vigorously enough,
the driver whose experiences are re-
lated above was Just as bad off as If
his brakes were not equal TO the task
of stopping Another thing he discov-
cred was that when alone on the road
he had a less accurate conception of
the cars rate of speed. Invariably he
was travelling faster than he thought
With other cars ahead, however, he
seemed to be able to sense his speed
without SO much as glancing at the
speedometer
Source of Encouragement.
The new view of traffic is expected to
be a source Of encouragement to many
persons who are wheel shy" That
the newcomer has an excellent chance
OF making good Is the firm belief Of
SAAOoC WIN oSS b1dAllL DIS IlSlp
than handicap, guide rather than
an obstacle.
This discovery of the helpfulness of =
traffic may call for a reversal of the
practice of aiming first to make a
driver equal to solo work awheel Be-
ginners may be tossed into traffic to
sink or swim" on the theory that
most Of their driving will need to be
done as part of the team rather than
as an individual Hermit" driving
appears to have no place in the mod =
ern scheme of things
Traffic affects drivers favorably be-
cause 1t Is guided by the better oper--
ators who are numbered among it. q
These leaders set the pace, so that If
an inexperienced operator merely fol-
lows the leader he will be relieved of !,
numerous problems. He will not have
to make as many decisions. He starts,
turns and stops with the crowd, and
feels a sense of security because he Is
just one of many.
1t Is common to observe the con-
fusion of even fairly experienced
driver upon reaching strange inter-
section where the traffic system and
the course of the streets has to be
thought out as a new problem. Let
this same driver approach the most
complicated crossing. but in line with
other cars whose drivers know the
ropes" and the situation Is entirely
different.
Convenience Known.
Manv drivers who experience trouble
at night know the comfort and con-
venience afforded by other cars. Fol-
lowing right behind another car on a
rainy night banishes much CT the fear
of glare and enables one to maintain
an even pace with far less risk of get
ting into a ditch
If driver starts downhill he NAV
be reminded to drop into second gear
II the driver Of the car ahead slows
down. Otherwise the less experienced
driver Is apt to overtax his brakes and
get himself into trouble.
Traft1c may seem like a handicap,
but with new slant on the subject
any observing driver will realize that
1t has its decided advantages. With
out 1t many drivers would be in a seri-
Gus way since their own skill is far
below the group intelligence of those
traffic leaders who set the pace.
Copyright, 1881. by the Russell service)