Motors and Motoring Safety on the Road IN a former
article on " Safety on the Road," in which the important question of the reduction of danger at cross-roads and junctures was briefly referred to, it was suggested that the initial steps towards greater safety were that the Authori- ties should definitely settle which are main and which are side roads, that each should be indicated accordingly, and that a form of standardized signal should be used. The avoidance of multiplicity of road directional or warning signs cannot be too strongly urged, because, owing to lack of adequate control, the road movement has suffered in the past, and is still suffering at the present time, from the variety and promiscuousness of road signs. Abuse and disregard are the resultant evils. Signs should be as plain as possible, as they are then more likely to serve their object, and should indicate main and side roads by colour, by day and by night. Shape, too, should serve its turn and need not necessarily confuse the issue, while it would certainly be needed to assist the motorist who is colour-blind. There is no good reason why the standard British railway signal colours should not be adopted, for everyone has been accustomed to them from childhood —at any rate to the red and green colours—and knows their meaning. The same may well be said of the semaphore arm for adoption as to shape of the warning sign, and if further variation were required there are always the plain and the fish-tail ends or other similar but simple indications. Railroad conditions are not necessarily motor road condi- tions, but there is a certain amount of common ground, and it is surely sensible to benefit by the great experience such as in colour visibility and so forth which has been acquired over a long period of years by the railways of this country.
The question of lighting at night is obviously important and one which presents many obstacles, especially on the score of expense. Attention has been drawn from time to time and by many people to the desirability of illuminating danger-signs at many cross-roads. The desirability is clear, but the means to effect this lighting must at present offer an insuperable difficulty in many parts of the country. In a few places in England elaborate lighthouses are designed to cast strong beams of light along the length of dangerous hills, and in some parts the occulting system has been adopted. It is evident, however, that such arrangements cannot be generally employed. The Ministry of Transport has pointed out to housing Authorities the desirability of illuminating danger signs at certain points, but it was fully realized that to insist on lighting everywhere would throw a heavy financial strain on Local Authorities. It would seem, therefore, that attention must be focussed on other and less direct means of illumination; and at once reflecting devices suggest themselves. In these considerable progress has been made during the last few years. Reflecting knobs might well furnish a way out of the difficulty. If these knobs were made in colour the light of an approaching vehicle would show shape and colour, and thus give full warning to all road users. The capital cost of such a scheme and the charge for maintenance would not, I imagine, be out of proportion to the advantages gained.
The motorist would know when he was near a junction anc whether he was on a main or secondary road. His knowledge would be definite, and so far as the proposal goes the element of uncertainty which I am perfectly convinced is at the present time the seat of the danger and the deterrent on increased safety would be eliminated. I do not, however, consider that this is sufficient, and I go further, and in doing so, I know, tread on very controversial ground, and state that the Law should give the right of way to the traveller on the main road, I appreciate that there is a consensus of opinion that were a driver on the smperior road given by law a higher degree of precedence over inferior road traffic than is already granted to him by custom, unduly high speeds on trunk roads might result. Personally, I do not agree. One might almost as well say that the raising of the normal legal speed limit to thirty milei an hour would result in people driving faster. The twenty-mile-an-hour limit has, as everybody knows, long
since been totally disregarded, and , too many Authorities concerned with the road movement see before them only the matter of speed. Cars have been made more and more efficient every year, and consequently higher maxima speeds have been afforded. The point which is overlooked is that controls have progressed in conformity with speed capacities, and that although, given reasonable handling and freedom from abuse, the inodern ear will put up a much higher average over a long journey than its predecessor of four or five years ago or even less, the degree of safety of control afforded need make such a journey in no wise more dangerous to driver, passenger, or other user of the road. I do not believe that were main-road traffic granted precedence legally the average Increase in speed would be appreciably greater than now. For speed in itself is not necessarily a general danger. Risk lies in its abuse and in uncertainty of precedence. To restrict speed which might well be legitimate is to hamper progress. It seems reasonable in all forms of transportation that efficiency should be gained by slowing subsidiary traffic idorder to speed up through traffic, rather than reducing the average of both. This argument may appear to be somewhat far- fetched to-day, and a motorist may well say that he is merely out to drive for pleasure and does not want to be hustled along any more than he wishes to be unduly delayed. It is not, however, the conditions which oast at the present time at which one must look, but rather at those which are likely to obtain in the comparatively near future, and no one will deny that the element of danger from accident on the road— especially at cross-roads and junctures—should not be allowed to grow with the wider application and employment of motor road vehicles. The recognition that the onus of blame in the event of a collision at a road juncture would be definitely allocated would, I am certain, be the surest means of diminishing one of the most serious forms of road accident.
* * * * Another matter which has long called for careful considera- tion and definite action is that of the indication of railway level crossings. The number of serious accidents which have occurred at such places in the last few years clearly prove the need of more preventive measures. It is manifest that definite and clear advertisement of a railway level crossing is of primary importance to drivers of road vehicles, especially to those who are strangers to the localities concerned, and it is agreed that there are a number of these spots throughout the country where the prevailing conditions are neither efficient nor up-to-date. Too often is the fact overlooked that roads which were hardly used a few years ago now carry a considerable volume of traffic in the year. Reform here is overdue. * * * *
The white line has undoubtedly conduced to safety on the road, and its use has reduced a certain type of road risk. It is an obvious exhortation to the motor driver to do the right thing, and for this reason is sound. At one time there was considerable danger of its application being abused and its usefulness thereby diminished, but the Ministry of Transport appreciated the danger which might arise from the indis- criminate use of the white line on highways, and in 1925 the Minister, after taking steps to ascertain the views of a large number of Local and other Authorities, sent a circular of warning to all those concerned in Great Britain. It was Stated then that the experience already gained tended to show that the white line was calculated, not only to reduce the Inumber of accidents, but also to assist materially in the control of traffic by the police. Psychology plays an important part in the matter. The white line suggests to a driver that the near side of the road round the corner is clear, and that in consequence a reasonable speed can safely be maintained. The need of accurate marking is apparent. If a line is Badly laid and a driver finds himself COMpelled to run over it Upon occasion his faith in its utility will be to some extent shaken, end this will in turn lead to diiregard.– Incorrect laying also tends to leed to bad Cornering. It should clearly be an offence to halt a vehicle within white line area on a corner. Laying generally throughout the county could Mill be improved. The white line has proved of immense Value in the direction of traffic in towns, both from the motorists' standpoint and from that of the police. It is how- ._ ever, essential, in order that its full value may be gained) that motorists should play their part and strictly conform to the conditions laid down. Too often at a traffic check one sees drivers pull up beyond,the line. .If.this is done it may well impede the freedom of circulation or passage in otherldirections. Greatly augmented safety on the road is essential to the welfare of the movement as a whole and to the attainment of the great benefits which travel by road can confer upon us as
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