USE ALL THE ROAD

NZ Truth, Issue 1079, 5 August 1926, Page 16

USE ALL THE ROAD

Danger Of The Narrow Strip The idea ■ which was tried on the Hutt Road near Wellington seems; to be one which will be followed m making motoring roads, wherever roads of unusual width have to be dealt, with. In such cases, the old macadam surface is left at each side, only a fairly narrow strip m the centre being finished with bitumeii.

IMT VV Vi*cvO^y^iyiMLiM^^i^M "iipUi LctilL LUX ; |%^ -^^^ motorists to note I w that these roads are [I JWt Ag^l I still officially the 1 full width and if it |l|i||9Gßg|flßsfj^N must be driven off . are prompted by an experience which we had the other day when driving along the Hutt Road. We pulled out to pass two vehicles which were standing: on the edge of the bitumen, so that our car and the stationary cars /filled almost the full' width of. the: bitumen strip. At this moment a car approached from the opposite direction at a good speed. The driver pulled over to the edge of the centre strip but seemed to think that this was the edge of the road. It would have been impossible to have passed him m this position, and we avoided an accident only by pulling right across the road and out on to the "rough," on the wrong side ourselves.' Two people were m error m this ' case, and they both made the mistake of clinging to the bitumen , surface. In the first place the owners of the standing cars should have pulled right into the curb. . . If it is twenty feet from the curb to the bitumen, anyone leaving a car standing on the ■ bitumen, could be charged with obstructing the traffic by leaving, a vehicle twenty feet, from the side of the road. , •; ' Cars which are stopped m such a street should be pulled right off the bitumen. . Jt will be clear that such a. policy will allow only moving traffic 'on the bitumen, which motorists will agree would be a very good thing. In the case which we have outlined, A

the approaching motorist was also i error by remaining: on the bitume when danger of a collision was cause by so doing. The road must at all times be con sidered as being of the full width, an drivers should remember this fact. A third point arises and that is our own action m crossing the, road and breaking the law by allowing a car to pass us on the left. Some people would say that w were wrong m so doing. We are no sure that such a case has ever hap pened m New Zealand, but m- Eng land it has been decided that if an ac cident happens which could liave bee avoided by one of the parties break ing the "rule of the road" that perso: is responsible for the accident. > In any case there is a great deal t be said. for the old tag which we hay quoted before m these columns: — "Here lies the body of Edward Grey, •. Who knew when ha had the right of .way. ' He was right, all right, as he •rushed along, • • But he's just as dead as 'if he'd been wrong." And even if a Court should take different view of your action m run ning on the wrong side of the roa< m such, a case, it is better to pa; "forty, shillings and costs,", than' fo someone else to draw your insuranc money. ■' ■ "-- ; ' ' •-■,- " I