“Traffic Shy” Drivers

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 113, 14 May 1941, Page 9

“Traffic Shy” Drivers

< ( Many motorists, mainly those with a little experience, are inclined to be “traffic shy” in the cities or towns. The remedy is not to avoid busy thoroughfares, but to enlist the aid of a few simple rules,” says the latest road safety message of the Automobile Association (Manawatu) Inc. “First and foremost, make up your mind that it is better to let someone else get excited about being delayed than to become flustered yourself and so possibly meet danger half' way. Traffic, when, you are in it, ana going with it, is not as disconcerting as it seemed to be from the viewpoint of the pedestrian. It is a question of concentrating on what is ahead without fuss. Make every movement of the controls calmly and deliberately, and remember that the engine cannot run away with the car while the clutch is pressed down. “No matter how furiously the impatiout motorist may sound the horn when you fail to move off quickly enough for his satisfaction, tho law is on your side when you make road safety your_inotto. It is excellent procedure to avoid traffic-crowded thoroughfares if there are alternative routes and one wishes to avoid conroutes and one wishes to avoid congested areas but that is au entirely different matter from the attitude of the “traffic shy” driver. Every motorist should become as proficient' and confident as possible, and a step in that direction is to become habituated to busy thoroughfares and tho control and flow of traffic in them.

“Confidence and familiarity with busy traffic conditions are particularly useful at holiday and touring time when one’s "way leads into strange cities or towns. Such travel is very valuable as a part of experience, and the lessons of experience properly learned and applied make the safe, reliable motorist.”