How Good A Driver Are You?

Press, Volume C, Issue 29535, 9 June 1961, Page 11

How Good A Driver Are You?

The Situation: Smith was travelling through a three-way “Y” intersection. The roads were sealed, but there was a patch of gravel in the centre. Smith took a “short-cut" to avoid this. His vision round the bend was obstructed by a high bank on the right hand side of the road. As he was pulling over to the correct side of the road through the intersection he was struck by Jones who was just entering the intersection. The Answer: In this case both drivers were turning right, so road courtesy prevails.

As Jones was just entering the intersection and was turning right, he should have been watching carefully for other traffic and proceeding slowly as he may have had to give way to a vehicle turning left out of the road on his left'. Smith, however, should have been travelling very slowly in view of the restricted visibility. The potential hazard was clearer to

him than it would be to any other driver. If Smith was a skilful driver, he would have kept further to the left —to the other side of the patch of gravel—to give himself a better view down the road. This would have given him more time to atop or to take evasive action, which he was unable to do from the position in which he had placed himself.