Evening Star Newspaper, July 15, 1923, Page 63

Costly to Lives and Property Ignorance of Fundamentals Blamed and Real Examinations Are Proposed to Substitute Knowledge for “Luck.” BY WILLIAM ULLMAN. Driving an automobile is altogether too serious a function to permit luck to be the guiding force. Nine-tenths of so-called carelessness In opemating motor cars 1s downright ignorance of the simplest of fundamentals, a fact which fortells the coming of a rigid examination process for every driver &5 a means of weeding out the unfit and training them. Whenever an automobile examina- tlon is mentioned the average mo- torist visualizes a sort of superficial test applied to timid drivers who are new at the ggme. It is well, ther fore, to make it clear that the exam- fnation of the very near future is to be a rigid test of those drivers who think they are competent This m number of things. The man who has driven cars for five years or more may suddenly find that he has the cheice of hiring a chauf- feur or learning the fundamentals all ans an complete abolition of practice of mistakes akes perfe The man who has blundered his way through motoring at the expense of human life and the personal property of others will find himself back in a class with the be- ginners 1t will idea to_stimulate a more active interest in the science of d ing, thus offering many pointers so-called experienced drivers and im- pressing motorists with the fact th man woman can assume that he or s dequately trained to irfve without having proved it to the gatisfaction ¢ hers will U M is ent Defeets. it will reveal the present found in xev- the advantages of measured in terms of er Pre all of st imp: stem are 1y tion it - the is well to make driver who hi experience i whether he ¢ Ask him to shift fr “second” when runr * twenty miles per h Switch off_the ignition ning in traffic_ and time w long it takes him to v Mlowing m “high downhill n do the to at when run- him to see ank the him ten chances to shift n 111 at twenty miles an hour. ini to stop upon your verbal 1 to dob so and note the con- uced by hix feet, an ularly whet he e- T dal, s in King ithout look- accuracy of his steering The announcement that we have been design s to every motorist in the National Capital. Firestone is the larges ask him to stop ‘the car with the right front wheel parallel with the line and not more than three inches out of the way. Ask him to go into “neutral” when coastinig down a long, gentle decline; then shift back into “high” without bringing the car to a stop. _ * Discover whether he can shift gears while turning a corner, blowing his horn at the same time. Only Normally Competent. It he can do all these he is only normally competent as a driver. If he can't do them he should be re- quired to learn how to drive a car. These facts are rapidly coming to light with the discovery that the hazards of driving are being in- creased all out of proportion to the increase in cars, not so much because of the advent of so many new and inexperienced drivers as hecause of the large number of drivers think they are experienced simply be- cause they get away with it A man cannot learn to be a good driver in a year. and until some bet- ter plan Is devited we shall prob- ably have to permit new drivers to gain their experlence through actual practice and at the expense of the public. But when people have been practicing for five years or more and still cannot perform the fundamental acts necessary to good driving it is time to call a halt, Any one interested in investigating the situation can select any ten drivers of five years' experience and find that at least five of them can- not pass half the tests listed above. The wonder of the age—as it has often been sald—is that there are not at least 1,000 per cent more acel- dents than there are. But there is {little consolation in this for those who are victimized by the mistake of these incompetents who are pa ing for experienced drivers. Even in states whe new drivers age examined the motorist gets the wrong impression from the very start !In_ one state, for example, he is | judged largely upon his knowledge of where to report an_accident, a fact { which best proves the inadequacy of E(h(- test! False Confidence Created. Because he is given a very super- ficlal test with the gears—shifting on level ground—he is led to believe that {his success with this indicates his success with driving in general, whereas his shifting when going up- hill or down may be so hopeless as to render him a constant source of danger to himself and others A favorite driving test in another atate has been to trick the applicant into parking in front of a fire hy |drant. While a knowledge of ti¥® au- tomobile .law is very necessary: it is decidedly secondary to a knowledge of how to operate the car properly 1 the te that emphasizes tech lities where fundamentals are ntly needed defeats Its own pur- n ‘,’ The inconsistencies of examination thods already in force are largely ponsible for the reluctance to adopt examination method generally. is realized that the jr it and not until it THE SUNDAY All Auto Drivers \Two Main Auto Arteries Open | Should Memorize These Few Rules; What every driver of an automobile should learn: 1. Put yourself behind the other man’s steering wheel 2. Don't laugh at timid passengers. They are your guests. 3. Don't expect children to look out for themselves. The fact that it was the child’s fault doesn’t make death less terrible. 4. When a man is in the wrong and insists on the right of way, let him have it. You can't argue with a fool. 5. Get the hand signal habit. It protects you as well as others. 6. Don't dash by street cars as they are about to stop. 7. Slow down and keep to the right you come to the crest of a hill. . Don't dispute the railway cross- ing with the railroad train. 3. Think of other street users when you have to splash through mud and water. 10. Remember the pedestrian at the crossing has a right to cross. 11. Don't drive jerkily. It the man behind you worried. 12. When your brakes aren’t work- ing. the time t6 have them fixed is now. 13. If you forget the rules of the road. you can safely fall back on the Golden Rule. e, as keeps present incompetency of motorists is due largely to illogical, official rec- ognitlon of ignorance and luck as passable will any great stride be made in the direction of safety through better driving It is « foregone conclusion that the toring depends upon ndard of driving to “experienced” offer little e ce the job. Exam- ralsing through proving drivers that the of being qualified fo ine the “experienced” driver and you automatically encourage the new driver to operate hix car more com- petently and with greater safety. (Copyright, 1923.) STAR, WASHINGTON D. €, JULY 15 From Washington Into West| Both Routes Merge at Pitisburgh, But Diverge Again One Continuing North. The above map, which was specially prepared for The Sunday Star by the map and touring department of the National Motorists’ Association, de- picts the two main arteries of travel for all motor traffic to the west. Either route is used for reaching Pittsburgh, and all travel for points west or north of Pittsburgh should continue north through Butler into Mercer. At this point the routes for north and west diverge. For Erle, Buffalo and Canadian points the route continues north from Mercer, through Conncaut Lake, Meadville, Saegertown and Cambridge Springs into Erle. (These latter places are western Pennsylvania’'s best known summer resorts.) For reaching Cleveland, Toledo, De- troit (all Michigan points), South Bend and Chicago the route continue west from Mercer through Sharon. Warren and Chagrin Falls into Cleve- land. West Along Pike. £ the objective is a point in cen- tral Ohio, Indiana or Illinols. the best route is to continue west on the Na- | pike to Washington, Pa. At this point Pittsburgh is easily ac- cessible, or the National pike con- tinues west into Wheeling, Zanesville, Columbus, Dayton, Richmond and into Indianapolis. From Indianapolis, Chicago is reached via Danville, Tl For St Louis and the west the National pike tional at Mercer, Pa., | continues on through Terre Haute, {Efingham and Vandalia into St | Louis. 3 | If a circuit tour ts planned it will | be found that there are eight distinct ridges on the National pike, while the Lincoln highway boasts of but two of the same type, the grades on the latter route being longer and gentler. The feature of this tour which | makes the strongest appeal to east- erners is that It leaves the coast plains and traverses the most inter- esting section of the ecastern moun- | tain ranges. Heworts on Way. Both routes offer any number of | mountain resorts which are specially inviting at this time of vear. Golf {ls a usual diversion, along with the other features common to resorts of the better type. Any number of historic points may be seen at every hand—which will |recall ouf early history—when | George Washington climbed these | same green slopes on foot and horse- ack—running the original surveys | which the road still follows. Look | you across those green hills, which | have seen a narrow strip of thinly | populated tide-water country extend and flow -across thelr barriers to | distant ocean, Dbe ning, as that young surveyor believed it would, the Ereatest of nations. |~ Complete route cards covering this | trip can be procured gratis by Wash- ington motorists during all of this | week at the headquarters of the N: | tional Motorists’ Association at 911 | 15th street northwest. Shy Young Miss Wanted to Weigh! Air Upon Scales She was new, ag a driver. She just missed the fire hydrant, ran over the curb and brought her electric finally to a stop in front of a sidewalk filling station. “Bring out your scales, please, she sald. cales?" tender, puzzled. “Yes,” she replied. “See how many pounds of air I need in my tires." WABBLING WHEELS. Driver Should Test Own Once in a While. If there's one thing that's bound to catch the eve of any driver, no matter how unobserving ‘otherwiss it's a wabbling hind wheel of a car ahead or the crippled front “roller” of a machine approaching. All who witness these premonitions of danger prophesy trouble ahead for the owner. But the owner seldom learns the truth about the condition of his own wheels because he is busy speculat- ing about the crooked courses the wheels of passing cars are taking. Car owners who feel that the wheels are of some aecounmt make it a rule occaslonally to jack up each wheel 1p turn and spin it. CROOSING RAILROAD TRACKS. Following elosely’ in the wake of another car when crossing a railroad track is bad policy. : The driver of the car ahead may not take the simple precaution of looking to see whether the coast is clear, He may just get over in time. Thus.ithe man, who fol- lows directly behind him may be a moment too late, and it he does hap- pen to know how to shift into second quickly and speed up he will find the road ahead blocked by the other car. querfed the tank One-Way Streets Give District Motorists Some New.Problems Misuse Means More Trouble and Acci- den , But Observance of Rules Will Benefit City BY THEODORE P. NOYES. Now that Washingtonians have full legal possession of a number of im- portant one-way streets in the con- gested section of the city, they should learn how to use them to the fullest advantage. This writer has seen many flagrant abuses of the opportunity for clearer passage on downtown streets and will endeavor to suggest means whereby one-way thoroughfares will prove the boon in the National Capital they have proved in other cities of like size. In the first place, motorists while on these streets should steer as straight a course as possible and not weave from one side to the other. Although the streets arc wide and afford ample room for cars to travel in one direction abreast, there is no protection to the autolst if cars dash in and out tiny openings in traffic, from one side of the street to the other, and constantly harass those who are steering a stralght coyrse Rule in Other Cities. ° In New York, Philadelphia and other citles where passing is allowed both sides of a moving car, it would be fatal for a driver to swerve even a few feet off his stralght course. A car is just as llkely to pass on the left as the right. In Washington, however, where passing is allowed on only the left, it behooves motorists to keep just as strafght a line of travel. A Ford speeder afforded tunity for a test.of thfs sort of driv- ing yesterday morning. “Full speed ahead” and “never a straight line” seemed to be his motto, and other cars on the street were put in danger of collision by his recklessness. Not less than five accidents were narrowly averted in the four blocks' career on 12th street of this Ford driver. Needless to say the accidents were not averted by the Ford owner but through the skilled driving of occupants of other cars, Crixs-Cross Driving. This exhibition was a glaring ex- ample of misuse of one-way streets The Ford driver would first pass a car close to the left-hand curb. He would then swerve ofit into the mid- dle of the street and pass avother car there. Finally, in a mad endeavor to make better speed, he would pass to the extreme right -of other carw. working back by a quick turn to the left-hand curb. Another bad fault which has been displayed ‘among some of the new users of one-way streets is in park- ing. Parking at the right-hand curb is, of course, unchanged, but it is a decided change for local motorists to park at the left-hand curb facing in the opposite direction to what they are used to. It requires entirely different fi ing to get vour lefi wheels parallel to the curb than the orthodox manner of right wheels in. However, this oppor- Washington Accessories Co. Has Been Selected As A Distributor For Firestone And Oldfield Tires enjoy world-wide renown based on performance. 30x3 —999” 30x31,—*999” 30x3 —Reg. Cl 30x312;—Reg. Cl. 31x4 —Reg. CL ~30x31,—Reg. Cl. 30x31,—Ext. 30x3%,—S. S. 32x31,—S. S. 31x4 —S. 32x4 —S. 33x4 —S. 34x4 —S. - 29x41,—S. 32x41,—S. 33x41,—S. 34x41,—S. 35xd1,—S. 36x41,—S. 30x5 —S. 33x5 —S. 35x6 —S. 37x5 —S. 17th and L Sts. N. W. veee. $9.90 .. $11.30 ... 11.10 ... 12,50 .. .$22.20 WAS vt To Our Patro;ls We now are supplied with complete stocks of Firestone and - Oldfield tires and we are certain that you will be more than pleased with the un- usual mileage these tires will give. In accepting the distributorship, we made the most exhaustive study of the entire field and we believe that we are now offering the very best in value on the market today. . It is of additional interest to every tire purchaser to know that our un- usually complete tire service covers Firestone and Oldfield lines. The Home of Famous Minute Service IN EDW. E. LIPPHARD, Manager. 30x31,—*“999” Fabric. 30x31/,—Cord 31x4 —Cord 32x4 —Cord 33x4 —Cord 34x4 —Cord 33x4Y,—Cord that’ will comé with practice and is not the really dangerous part of improper parking on the left side. Source of Danger. It is when a motorist suddenly sees a parking space on the left side of the street when he is on the right side and darts across, regardless of traffic which may he about to pass him, that the real danger comes in. This has happened time and time again since the one-way streets have been in eff . If you want to park on the left side of a street, get your .car in the proper position to do so without disturbing other trafic. That is, drive slowly up the left side of the street. If ‘you want to park on the right ‘side, follow the same pro- cedure, but don't swerve from one side of the street to the other with- out taking into account that there are other drivers besides yourself to watch out for. . R Of course, it you are on one side of the street and see a space on the other you can always get over, first taking due care of trafiic behind vou nd _giving everyindication of wha u intend to do. Can Turn at Once. Another phase of one-way street driving - comes in when making & left turn off a two-way street onto y street. It is no longer ssary in this case to drive to the middle of the one-way street to make the turn. It not only saves time but interferes less with traffic If the turn is made as soon as the one-wa. thoroughfare is reached. But don't let this get into the habit of “cutting corners” when you turn inte a two-way street. Up to the last Thursday night when the law officlally became a law, there was a great deal of non-observance on tha part 6f motorists of the vari- ous one-direction streets. Most of it was probably done from ignorance, but while arked on 10th street one day last week the writer counted seventeen cars in twenty minutes driving the wrong way. Another motorist reports that while driving north on 13th street a car suddenly turned from F south on the same street, narrowly escaping a col- lisfon. To make matters worse ths driver, who was in the wrong, yelled, “Why don’t you get on the right side of the street; what's the matter with way streets are the sure solu- tion of many of Washington's trafla evils, and it will soon become evident to even the most skeptical that a big stride forward has been taken in traffic régulation in the Natlonal Capital. TIRES ON TARRED ROAD. A freshly tarred road is no place for a cord tire with a loose tread. In rolling over the surface of the road- way the tar will cause the thread to stick to the road rather than to the carcass of the tire—thus causing it to lgoser. still more and perhaps strip off. 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