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Show IMPATIENT DRIVERS ARE MENACE TO SAFETY CF MOTORING PUBLIC By I)c. Wai.tki; A. Cutter Alniiiiistniliri; Assistant, Center fur Safely E intent loll , Xetc Ytn k I' iiirersity The latest arailable figures indicate that more than 10 per cent of the motorists involved in all fata! accidents were driving on the wrong side of the road. On rural highways, about Hi out of every .100 fatal accidents can be attributed to passing too fast, too soon, too late, or with too little thought. The inherent risk involved in passing is the unknown. Vertical Ver-tical curves, hills or a roadway may restrict vision and hide vehicles ve-hicles just beyond the area of vision; horizontal curves often conceal what lies ahead, and approaching ap-proaching vehicles frequently blend deceptively with the background. back-ground. Passing on the wrong side is often an accident cause. The safest practice, and generally the only lawful one, is to pass on the left. Multiple-lane express highways provide exceptions to this rule. Misjudging the speed of other cars is another cause of mishaps. mis-haps. About the only way the speed and distance of an oncoming oncom-ing vehicle can be judged is the rapidity with which it passes such landmarks as telephone poles, billboards and buildings, and this comparatively accurate judgment can only be made when the car approaches from directly ahead. There is always the danger that the passing driver may be forced to swing back to his original orig-inal position in the line because oncoming traffic has made it unsafe to complete the pass. Many times the driver's original position on the highway has al; ready been filled. To guard against this, if the driver will case his vehicle slightly over the center line at a safe distance to the rear of the vehicle in front, and assure himself of enough distance dis-tance ahead to complete the pass1, he can always swing safely back in line if necessary. In general, a clear open road of approximately approxi-mately 1000 feet and an allowable allow-able time interval of 12 seconds , is a safe margin. In addition, accident prevention preven-tion authorities recommend these special precautions: 1. A standing street car or bus taking on or discharging passengers should never be passed on the right unless the hmding area is protected by a safety zone. 2. Vehicles should not pass on approaching curves, crests of hills, railroad grade crossings, or at any intersections.- 3. Never attempt to pass ve-! ve-! hides that are traveling at top speed or at maximum safe speed, and never attempt to pass wh the required passing speed is greater than that allowed by the local speed law. 4. Indicate well in advance the desire to pass, either by shifting position of the car into the correct lane or by the use of hand signals, or both. i The urge to pass every vehicle ve-hicle is an indication of emotional emo-tional immaturity and has no place in the mind of the expert driver; and the driver who makes it as difficult as possible for other cars to pass him is equally childish and dangerous. Nearly everyone has at some time been the near victim of the "eager beaver" who, due to some psychological quirk in his makeup, make-up, cannot bear to stay behind the car ahead; or the "road hog" who straddles the center line, refusing re-fusing to share the highway with anyone not complying with his prescribed rate of speed. The rule, "Keep to the right except when passing." should be adhered ad-hered to by all motorists, wheth- I er they are moving at 20 or at SO miles an hour. |