ROAD SAFETY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 123, 14 February 1940, Page 2

ROAD SAFETY

"TRAFFIC SHY" DRIVERS

"Many motorists, mainly those with a little experience, are inclined to be 'crftfTic shy' in the cities. The remedy is not to avoid busy thoroughfares, but tlo enlist the aid of a few simple rules," says a road safety message of the Automobile Association, Canterbury.

"First and foremost, make .up your mind, that it is better to let someone else get excited about delay than to become flustered yourself. and so possibly meet danger half way. Traffic, when you are in it, and going with it y is not. as disconcerting as it seems to be from the viewpoint of the pedestrian. It is a question of concentrating on what iis ahead, without fuss. Make every movement of the controls calmly and deliberately, and remember that the engine cannot run away with the car while the clutch pedal is pressed down.

"No matter how furiously the invpatient motorist may sonnil the horn when you fail to move off quickly enough for his satisfaction, the law is on your side, when you make good safety your motto. It is excellent procedure to avoid traffic-crowded thoroughfares if there are alternative routes and one wishes to avoid congested areas, but that is an entirely different matter from the attitude of the 'traffic shy' driver. Every motorist should become as pro fic-ient and confident as possible, and a step in that direction is to become used to busy thoroughfares and the control and flow of traffic in them.

"Confidence and familiarity with busy traffic conditions are particularly useful at holiday and touring time, when one's way leads into strange cities or towns. Such travel is very valuable as a part of experience, and the lessons of experience properly learned and applied make the safe, reliable motorist."