SIGNALS TO BE GIVEN

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 117, 14 November 1939, Page 11

SIGNALS TO BE GIVEN

FOUR-LANE SAFETY

UNDONE BY UNWISE DRIVING

The ■ Automobile Association commented yesterday on driving practices on the Hutt and Ngahauranga Gorge Roads, and ..emphasised the necessity of. observing simple v and sensible rules if the,.real. benefit of: the .work: done

is ~tpr b e .obtained,

| From .observations of, .the use of these 'two,roads, said.th§ association,'! it is eyident that motorists' do .not. yet appreciate, the, value,,,or the meaning, of .fbur r lane -roads. .Qne.of foe, most serijO'us;^aspects, is.; that the ..first ..driving .rule-is not observed, Keep to the left. "■] During the/ weekend car, after car tan- along the/.Hutt Road v; with the wheels straddling the white, line, dividing;.the; sjow from .th,e, faster, lane, though everyone. ,-,knqws well ■ enough ./that ■ the: -white ] line has/ been, laid-down [ to' 'wgregate- slow from - faster traffic, : and; tp ensure a; clear right of'way to cars overtaking slower traffic. '

■ The question has been raised whether^ 'fast-moving traffic should, after 'overtaking and clearing' a slow vehicle} continue in the fast *lane or shpu.l4.«jtn.qye,^bj.Qk. v .tQ v '_g[ie. left-hand lane.

/Naturally, ydrivtag, practice/must de-, j>efid largely f upon : circumstances. If there were -• several vehicles in line ahead in the slower lane the overtaking driver^ should continue in the. fast iarie, but if the way was; clear he should return to the^Jeft of the roadway and /keep'- to- the -left until he overtook another-vehicle. : :

I Ariother/point'vthat must be immedi-: i at'ely cleared up,: says the association,. is %hether a: driver who prpposes to rhpye tp the fast lane should give a signal or; could pull out of line" as of right- v '■'■ ' ■-" ;;- ■■' ■ .-■•

. Bpfh cpmmpn sense and road necessity demand 'th^t a signal should be given w r hen moving from the left to the right-harid; lane, either by-hand; or by indicator signal.; ■' Oyerseas, and parj ticularly in. Eriglarid; failure to givesu<bh. A. signal when hiovirig from slow to fast lanes is regarded as a serious: ' breach pf driving practice, ' and a mbtprist who hankers to be "booked" up'':'can/most rapidly fulfil his desiire" by. disi4gardirig the'rule; English control officers were most insistent on that point. ;. .. '■'.•■■'• '• There is ample Width on either the Hutt or the Ngahauranga Gorge Roads for safe overtaking under - any normal traffic conditions, provided that the keep-to-the-left rule is observed and that drivers overtaking slpwer traffic signal clearly their intention to move into the faster lane.

The road widths,on either side of the central barrier are. actually greater than the.useful road surfaces of most rural highways which carry fast opposing traffic, but the whole value and safety of divided highways are lost without proper use by all, drivers.