“THE DANGER OF THE ROAD.”

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143550, 15 July 1911, Page 3

“THE DANGER OF THE ROAD.”

(To the Editor.) , Sir, —One poet has immortalised himself by writing a piece; “Yo gentlemen of England, who live at home at ease, How little do you think upon the dangers of the seas.” But now we have, another bogey in tho shape of a steam waggon, which I met in the dark. 1 could seo it coming along with two glaring-lights and sending sparks up like rockets, and how was I to signal it to stop until I passed? I shouted “Stop!” a dozen times, but the one man in it was making so fearful a noise of course my ones could not bo heard. Shall I take the horse out of harness? thought I; but time was too short, so I hacked the trap into the side of the road and got down, and fortunately things ended without damage. But 1 keep thinking of other unfortunates who will surely suffer, and say the authorities should at once legislate and insist on this hobgoblin, as well as motor cars, should stop at night the moment they are required to do so; and this demand can be made by blinking one of the lamps by holding a hat or cap before it. Hero I may say getting off the road at night is excessively dangerous, as tho lamps do not indicate the incline in the least. If a glaring motor car suddenly tops a hill in front, the unearthly shriek it gives only seems to make a horse certain some demon hitherto unmet is going for it, and flight to one side is the only hope.—l am, etc., H. M. LEVINGE.