Evening star., 1933-02-19
MOST DANGEROUS
VIOLATION SOUGHT
Golden Rule Held to Be Only
One That Actually
Counts.

What does the average automobile
driver think is the most dangerous viola
tion of road rules? Or doesn't he think?
Safety experts would like to know.
They have been telling him for years
just what they have found out. Some
of these facts have been very pointed.
Either he doesn't care to take a tip
from statistics or he has some ideas Of
his own. There is some reason to sus-
pect that he doesn't care.
Result of Skidding.
Last year skidding accounted for only
6.5 per cent Of the accidents resulting
in death, yet most motorists drive in
special fear of having the car go into
a slide. Improper passing, turning and
signaling contributed but 7.8 per cent
Of the total of fatalities, yet drivers
are forever complaining about the other
fellows shortcomings in this particular
line. Why are these misdemeanors
holding an exaggerated place in the
motorists mind, and what is to be done
to make him appreciate that most Of
the trouble on street and highway is
seem to be dangerous?
The answer seems to be educate
him" One way to do this is to ask him
what he thinks. This is the method
being adopted by the Automobile Club
Of Philadelphia. 1t doubtless will be
tried by other leading automobile clubs,
and may shortly be taken up by the
motor vehicle departments themselves.
The Philadelphia club is asking men,
bers to vote on this question Of the
most dangerous violation. The voting
is done on special QUESTIONABLE fur
niShed through the clubs official maga-
zine. Seven questions are asked, but
there Is space for the motorist to in
sert any other violations which he con-
siders to be outstandingly dangerous.
He Is asked, for instance, if he con-
siders ignoring stop signal or sign the
most dangerous violation. What does
he think of illegally passing a street
an incorrect position especially hazard
Gus? What about driving in the wrong
direction? And parking too close to
corners? Also driving with obvious dis
regard for the rights of others? Cues
ton seven tops it Off with his views on
driving a car while intoxicated.
The intelligent motorist will appre-
ciate at once that there Is only one
question in the group that really counts,
and this one carries the answer. 1t
concerns the matter of disregarding the
rights of others. If every driver would
think of the other fellow there would
be the most radical slash in accidents
ever attained in the history Of motor
ing. This is the belief of most of the
safety experts. They may be wrong.
What do you think about it?
1t is becoming more and more ap-
parent that the world will get nowhere
in its safety unless there is a more
general understanding as to just what
is and is not proper in driving. This
should not be a long series of dos and
don't. but simple working rule that
takes care of every reasonable Sftua-
ton. The Golden Rule seems to cover
the whole thing.
Take Connecticut last year, for in
accidents at intersections.
These could not have happened If each
driver had thought of the other fell
low and had given him half chance.
Those 1,194 accidents on curves were
obviously cases where some one thought
the whole road was his. On clear
straightaways 1868 per cent Of the &C
cidents were staged. Collisions here
were in great variety, but they invari-
ably involved two drivers. Some one
wasn't thinking of the other fellow.
Not Exceptions.
You will point to accidents that re-
suit from broken axles or inherently
unsafe highway conditions and ask that
these be viewed as exceptions. But are
they exceptions? If the axle is weak
and many car parts are inherently
angerous-wasn't that violation on
the part of the car manufacturer, the
engineers or perhaps the board of direc-'
tors who demanded more profits? Who
is to blame for unsafe highway condi-
tions but those who build the roads or
who neglect to safeguard them?
In the accidents for the United States
in 1881 the brakes of 1920 of the cars
involved were defective. Whose fault
was that if not the owners? -Four
thousand five hundred and ten of the
drivers were guilty Of driving with
glaring headlights. Four thousand
nine hundred and sixty had cars with
defective steering gears. What about
that? But these cases where the
owner-driver is indirectly responsible
for the accident represent less than 5
per cent of the cars involved in acci-
dents. The main trouble lies with the
driver himself and especially his reluc-
tance to do unto others as he would
have them do INTO him.