Evening star., 1946-08-09
Letters to The Star
Readers Express Reactions to
News of Traffic Accidents

mere Is nothing more indicative of
ones character than the manner in
which one drives an automobile. One
can spot the selfish person. the indif-
ferent one, the lazy, the friendly, the
generous, the insolent, the giddy, and
the dependable.
It's interesting to watch the drivers
revealing human nature in the raw. For
example: The one who drives too slowly,
impeding traffic, just moseying along
as II he were out on country road
taking stroll. Then there's the speeder
who zlps by you, cuts in ahead, missing
your lett lender and the safety zone by
halrs breadth, then slams on his
brakes because the light still is red
There's the driver who waits until the
green light is on bit before he comes
TO- puts his car in low which he could
easily have done while he waited, ac-
celerates his engine before he's ready
TO make the crossing.
Among the worst offenders are women
who dangle their beautiful little hands
out OF car windows-just dangle that's
e't3' oilC Idll lllidSlllc WIldU IIeV re
going to do; even a mind reader
couldn't. That dangle may mean
left turn, right one or full stop.
Again, and once more women are
the worst offenders, the drivers who
wish to make right turns, but instead
of placing their cars in the right traffic
lane, cut across to the right lane and
nonchalantly make the turn. The mir
acle is that there aren't more accidents
than there are.
Let's not forget the people who talk
and talk while driving They look at
the passengers riding with them look
everywhere except straight ahead,
watching the traffic as they should be.
Guardian angels must protect them.
Then there's the driver who takes the
children along with him and allows
them TO stand up and climb all over
himself and all over the car while it's in
motion.
We haven't forgotten the "backer."
the one who never cuts his wheels
while the car is in motion, but bumps
the car behind him, then hits the car in
front and manages, finally, to get in or
out of the space.
But there also are the drivers who
appreciate the responsibility they as
sumo when they take their places be-
hind the wheels of their cars. How one
loves to drive along with them! They
are alert-as drivers should be- Their
Job at the moment lin this day and
age serious job is that OF driving
their cars efficiently and safely. We
are thankful for those drivers.
It's smart to be q good driver. One
should be as assiduous In observing
ethics in driving a car (which includes,
of course, knowledge Of traffic rules and
regulations) as one is to conform to
rules of etiquette in polite society
G.. ANN McMEEKIN.
To the Editor of The Star:
The press reports 1t Liverman as
favoring institution of a 25-mile limit
on Memorial Bridge to prevent further
accidents of the kind in which a Vir-
ginia bus climbed the curbing and
piUllSCd till ouSIl lllt 1dllIlR LO lIl6 TOdQ-
way below. I am sure traffic engineers
and the public generally will favor any
possible safety measures to provide safe
guards against appalling accidents of
this sort, but my opinion is that not
even 15-mile speed limit will prove a
factor to prevent such mishaps, if
drivers permit their cars to get out of
control because of haphazard driving
1t. Liverman is quoted as saying, The
bridge Is lacking in sturdy qualities
but how can construction engineers
build guardrails or balustrades to with
stand careening buses carrying upwards
of so passengers? II rational driving
Is insisted on, it will not be necessary
for the authorities to blame the bridge
builders.
I believe the greatest single cause of
accidents in our Metropolitan Area is
due to failure of car operators to keep
within their travel lanes 1 am sure all
will agree that our main travelled streets
and highways in the District, Virginia
and Maryland are we'll marked with
designated travel lanes, but take an
hours ride at any time and note how
little attention is paid to the white
lines.
Let's use some of our traffic budget
funds to post signs reading: Keep
Within Your Lane" Anticipate Your
Turns" Keep to the Right" and you
will find that hundreds of unnecessary
smashes can be prevented. In IA years
of driving between Falls Church and
Washington, it has been my observation
that slow drivers cause more trouble
than those who obey the rules OF sensi-
BILE driving and keep up to the prescribed
limits. On my way to and from Vir-
ginia find it to be the exception rather
than the rule for a slow-moving vehicle
to give right of way at the sound of
the horn. We have hundreds of IS and
20 mile drivers who unalterably occupy
the inside lane for the whole length of
their journey.
Twenty-Five miles on the Memorial
Bridge will take us back to the mile
long bottlenecks and snarls that pre-
vailed few years ago before the pres
ent efficient under and over passes were
installed in this area. Let's progress
rather than regress, and the way to do
this Is to educate drivers to their re-
sponsibilities every moment they are in
the drivers seat There's no appeal
from lapse at the wheel
LEONARD j. MCCARTHY.
To the Editor of The Star:
Your splendid editorial Public Haz-
ard No. /" is real contribution to the
safety of all in this Capital of the Ma