TRAFFIC RULES OBSERVANCE

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1929, Page 11

TRAFFIC RULES OBSERVANCE

SPACE REQUIRED BETWEEN CARS. BOROUGH INSPECTOR SPEAKS OUT. A protest against driving motor-cars close behind one another in a long line wa smade by Mr. R. Day, chief borough inSpector of New Plymouth, at the annual meeting of the Taranaki Automobile Association last night. Mr. Day made a plea for proper driving by motorists and for the self-appointment of each member of the association as a teacher of others by example. If a number of cars was being driven along a road in line, why did drivers keep so close to the car ahead? Mr. Day asked. It might be all right except if anything went wrong with the car in front. Cars should keep a distance of three chains between them. -If a driver foolishly desired to overtake another car he would then have room to get back into line if he saw a car approaching in the opposite direction. Not to do so was suicide. To drive with 15 feet between one car and another in a crowd or on a hill where one could not see clearly what was approaching was nothing less than idiocy. Mr. Day commented severely on the careless observance by motorists of the ordinary traffic signs in the streets. The borough was compelled to erect the signs but absolutely no notice yvas taken of them by some drivers. The "no parking” notices were an example. Time and time again he had spoken to a motorist who had parked his car near a sign and had received the reply: "Oh! I thought it meant on the other side of the signl” A few minutes later he would receive the same reply from the driver of another car stationed on the other side of the notice. A point that could be easily remem-, bered was not to pull out of line when there was a long string of cars going to some event. A typical example often occurred at race meetings, where a car would stop for some charge to be paid, and someone who did not realise the difficulty of an inspector’s tas? would pull out of line and draw up beside the stationary ear. Others would follow suit and immediately there would be a traffic block. The right-hand rule was one of the finest traffic rules introduced in New Zealand, Mr. Day considered, but 50 per cent, of motorists did not seem to understand it yet. If motorists would only remember two things—to drive slowly to corners and obey the right-hand rule there Would never be-any accidents at corners. Another thing motorists should think of w.aa the feelings of shopkeepers, who would not be pleased to see a car standing for any length of time in front of a carefully-dressed window.