SAFETY ON THE ROADS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22418, 3 June 1938, Page 18

SAFETY ON THE ROADS

“Always Keep to Left” SIMPLE RULE OFTEN FORGOTTEN “There are still very many motorists to say nothing of other users' of vehicles on the roads, cyclists included, who overlook, that elementary, common-sense, first rule of the road—keeping as far as practicable to the left,” says the latest safely message of the Automobile Association, C'anterbury. “The rule is so simple and easy to obey that it is very frequently forgotten. A tendency to drift to the right, that is to the middle of the road, seems to be inherent in motoi’ists as well as cyclists, and middle-of-the-road drivers or riders can cause a large amount of trouble for themselves as well as for others. “Failure to keep as far as practicable to the left is not thoughtful driving. and it the motorist has that habit and combines it with dawdling, then the practice is a cause of congestion in the formation of processions. That leads to impatience, much horn-blow-ing, irritation, and eventually to risktaking in an effort to get past the dawdler. If the dawdler kept strictly as close as practicable to his left-hand side then other traffic would not be impeded or inconvenienced. “After all is said and done thoughtfulness must be applied by every roaduser, and any one who monopolises more of the road space than he is justly entitled to places the mark of discourtesy on the handling of his vehicle. It has been truly said before that a road-user is entitled not to half the road, but only to sufficient of it to enable him to advance in safety. "So many motorists and cyclists, .by their middle-of the-road drifting act as if it were wise, safe, and proper to hug the middle of the road to the exclusion of all other traffic. “Keep as far as practicable to the extreme left, and if you must, through road conditions, drift toward the crown of the road, consult your rear-view driving mirror frequently and' regularly. Don’t become a motoring or cycling nuisance. It isn’t safe.”