LONDON WRITER SUGGETS SIGNALLING SYSTEM FOR DRIVERS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6757, 9 November 1928, Page 9

LONDON WRITER SUGGETS SIGNALLING SYSTEM FOR DRIVERS

A signal system for motorists which would Warn other drivers of what to expect of any other car is suggested by a writer in “London Opinion,” who says: “It has always been the habit of ships on the highways of the sea to advertise their needs and • circumstances to one another by means of jolly little flags of various colours and shapes. This is a decorative habit, and it has always seemed to me a pity that a wider use is not made of it ashore. From which point wo read on.

Now at last the opportunity hat arrived; the crowded highways of the land are becoming even more crowded than those of the sea.

So I suggest that in future all cars should be .obliged to carry a short mast about 6ft.' high, on the offside, where it can be most conveniently manipulated by the driver, and-from this'mast signal hoists, roughly corresponding to those in use at sea, should be flown. Such a regulation would not only make for brighter motoring, but it would enormously increase the factor of safety.' Let me give a few examples of the sort of signals which might figure in the motorist’s code book. For instance a yellow pennant might mean

This is my first car, and flown with a blue square above it, it would further indicate This is my first time out alone. Then other motorists could give it a wide berth on the starboard side when passing it. On the other hand, a black flag bearing a skull and cross-bones would signify i ’ I race at-. ' Brooklands, and other drivers would be saved the trouble of trying "to overtake* it. A red flag with a black centre would mean I

’ - ' My brakes, won’t work. If flown with a green one, with zigzag lines, it would mean My steering is uncertain.

The man who is liable at any moment to stop in the middle of the road and get ,inadvertently. into reverse could be marked with a large rod spot on a plain ground, while the habitual cutter-in might bo indicated by a pennant of red, white ana blue chequers. The yellow flag of quarantine might stand for ■ - ■ • I am slightly intoxicated, and the black pennant with a yellow border for I usually stall my engine when I slow down. Signals of distress would be equally useful ,ranging from “I have no gas” to “my back axle has dropped off”; mutiny in the back seats might also be suitably indicated. There is one other signal I have not mentioned —a large square flag of vivid red; this should certainly be reserved for

My wife is driving! ’ 1 i . It is a bright idea. Our big arterial roads are always monotonous at the present time, but if each car were to carry appropriate bunting they would look like Kew Gardens in tulip time. It is well worth considering.