CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 111, 12 May 1934, Page 17

CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS

LACK OF CONSIDERATION

Many of the i-oad accidents today are caused by someone, motorist- or pedestrian, failing in. a quality we all like to think we possess—consideration. If every road user—motorist, cyclist, and pedestrian—lived up to his own estimation of himself, the number of accidents would automatically be reduced, for the lack of consideration on someone's part is often the primary cause of a collision, says a writer in the "Autocar."

If every accident could b,e analysed, it would undoubtedly be fbtthd that many of them are indirectly duo to someone thinking only of himself. Tho parties involved in the accideut may be quite innocent in this respect; in fact, tho responsible party may . not even bo near the scene. People who erect illuminated signs where they may. be mistaken for traffic signals are an example; dog owners who allow their pets to stray are another, and motorists who leave their ears in awkward places a third. -

The driver who overtakes a slower vehicle and cuts in to avoid another approaching from the opposite direction shows lack of consideration towards a fellow-motorist. It may be quito safe for the man who cuts in, but, i£ tho occupant of the overtaken car is at all nervous, he may brake violently and so bring about an accident of which the inconsiderate driver may know nothing-. When wo see a pedestrian leisurely crossing the rbaa, it is our duty to presume that he ol- she cannot walk faster, and act accordingly. Everypno knows what is meant by consideration for others; unfortunately, everyone does not practise it.