Evening star., 1932-07-24
In the Motor World
BY G. ADAMS HOWARD.

| Traffic coming east tried to turn up
Thirty fourth street to get into upper
Georgetown. Traffic coming west tried
to make the left turn onto the Key
Bridge Traffic going west along the
| Canal road tried to 60 straight and the
net result was that, lacking direct
ing head, every one fretted and fumed
! in the heat until somehow, almost
miraculously it Strengthened itself out.
There's a traffic officer during the day
at the intersection of M street with
the Key Bridge roadway, but at night,
when a man is badly needed there Is
seldom uniformed man to aid in di-
recting that steady stream Of cars.
The Reservoir road, which ordinarily
splits the traffic stream throug-
Georgetown, has been closed for sew
eral weeks. It will be opened again
within few days to traffic bound for
Virginia over the Chain Bridge and
for points in Maryland west of Wash
ington. But now, with the Reservoir
read closed all that traffic. whether
bound for Virginia or Maryland, has to
go west on M street. The result is a
virtual doubling of the travel on M
street and many traffic snarls. Condi-
tions would be very materially i'm
proved if the authorities kept traf-
fic man on the job, not only during the
day. but during the hours from dusk
to or $50 pm.
A plan for placing Of signs at stop
streets, which in the opinion OF the
writer, would greatly diminish traffic &C
cidents, reduce violations of the stop
sign law, permit the parking of several
cars near the intersection and make
for greater peace of mind and comfort
of automobile drivers, has been sug-
gested by Joseph D. AmoroSe OF $40
Kennedy street. Mr.. Amorose simply
suggests that the stop sign. instead OF
being placed on the near or right-hand
corners of the intersection OF minor
streets with arterial highways, should
be placed on the left corners. mo
doubt in driving" he says, you have
noticed that when you approach an
unfamiliar street intersection having
stop sign your vision Is so obscured
by the parked cars that you are almost
on top of the marker before you see
it, even though the parked cars are the
regulation Is feet behind the marker.
You must have noticed, too. how in
convenient as we'll as dangerous 1t IS
to take the eyes off the road ahead
and look to the right curb to see If a
marker IS located there.
IT suggest that the signs be placed
on the left or opposite corner. where
they may be picked up more easily by
the drivers eye"
Over in Virginia. they have done
much the same stunt with their speed
signs. The "45-mile limit" signs are
placed on the left side Of the road.
where they will not be obscured from
the vision of the driver by a car ahead.
It works out we'll in Virginia, and it
might work out equally well for the
stop sign in Washington.
Have you any idea how much space
you should have in which to stop your
1882 car at speed on the highway? The
Society of Automotive Engineers has
compiled the following table for the
guidance of drivers, listing the safe
margins at which you may trail the
fellow ahead and stop with safety.
Thirty miles an hour, II feet: 35
miles, 80 feet; 40 miles 113 feet; As
miles, 1873 feet; so miles, 167 feet, and
55 miles, 1913 feet.
These are minimum figures. If your
brakes are not in good shape or your
tires are worn, give the fellow ahead
more room Give him more room any,
way You may need it if he stops sud-
denly.