Road Courtesy Is Big Factor

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 970, 13 May 1930, Page 6

Road Courtesy Is Big Factor

UNNECESSARY ACCIDENTS POINTS THAT HELP DRIVERS All over the world road courtesy is being recognised as a vital need, for more courtesy in motoring leads to greater safety. This is one of the most important cam paigns for motoring organisations. There is a national trend in which New Zealand will inevitably increasingly share for responsible bodies to co-operate in encouraging motorists to give greater thought to the etiquette of the road. Probably there is more motoring courtesy today than yesterday, but with the increase in the number of cars, there is every reason for courtesy to be general. Many car accidents are quite unnecessary, and a display of universal road courtesy will do a great deal toward proving how true this is. Numbers of careful drivers have their own unwritten rules by which they provide themselves with additional assurance of avoiding troubles of the road. They do not blow their horns unnecessarily and they never rely on their horns when approaching a pedestrian—child or adult. The fact that traffic rules might give them the right-of-way holds small interest for them. “Perhaps the other fellow doesn’t know we have the right-of-way,” they say. Some of the points which actively make for greater safety are given here, but there are other “unwritten” rules which every motorist will soon discover for himself. (1) Always drive as you \vduld wish others to drive. ' (2) Drive carefully. considerately and courteously. (3) It is dangerous and discourteous: — (a) To take corners on the wrong side. (b) To cut in or to cut things too fine. (c) To assume that the road is clear (d) To overtake at corners, bends, cross-roads, road junctions, arched bridges or humps in the road, or anywhere without the certain knowledge of a clear road. (e) To turn into or out of a road except dead slow. (f) To drive so that you cannot pull up clear of any possible danger. (g) To assume that your warning signal is heard, if no notice be taken of it. (h) To descend hills too fast. (i) To force your way through » i groups of persons boarding or i alighting from tramears. (j) To drive too close to, or too fast past, other road users. It is courteous and considerate: (a) To keep well to the left; (b) to overtake only after making sure that the road is clear and after giving warning; (c) to listen for warning signals from the rear, to signal on overtaking traffic, if the road is clear, and having done so, to let it get past; (d) to use your horn with discretion; (e) to exercise special care In passing all animals; (f) to draw up at the near side of tliß road, with the flow of traffic, and not against it.