Sir Henry Thomson writes to Tuesday's Times a most sensible
and timely letter on the best way of overcoming the alarm felt by horses in regard to motor-cars. Drivers are far too apt to communicate their own nervousness to their horses, and instead of overcoming the horses' fears by quiet and gentle methods, try to flog them into reason. If a frightened horse is led up to a motor and allowed to examine it for himself his terror soon passes away. Unfortu- nately, however, all motor-car drivers are not as patient and helpful as Sir Henry Thomson evidently is, though we believe the majority are as anxious as he not to give annoyance to other users of the road. Sir Henry Thomson's letter from this point of view raises the whole motor-car question, which, in our view, it is becoming necessary to re- consider. We believe that self-propelled vehicles have an enormous future before them, and that the movement will confer very great benefits upon the country, but as the move- ment spreads it will, we believe, be found absolutely necessary to adopt the plan we have already strongly urged in these columns of allowing no motor-car to be upon the road unless it is in the charge of a person qualified to drive it,—i.e., a person who has obtained a license after proof of his com- petence. That would afford a far greater security to the public than the proposal to enforce the display of conspicuous numbers. Personally, we have no objection to that proposal, and it might of course be joined with the license system, but it would not prevent the real, and, as we believe, the only serious, danger to the public, that of motor-cars being on the roads in the hands of incompetent persons, as they certainly will be when motor-cars can be bought at low prices or hired for the day. The license system when once established would be quite easy to work, and would provide an effective punishment for careless driving. In case of an accident through carelessness or any other offence the driver's license could be endorsed, or in bad cases suspended or forfeited.
Previous page
