Highways and Highway Transportation

by George R. Chatburn

The Driver.

—No matter how careful a driver may be there will be accidents, but the greatest number occur with drivers who may be classified as: (1) Mentally or physically unfit, (2) Ignorant, (3) Indifferent, (4) Reckless by nature.

The unfitness may be caused by sickness, acute or chronic, business worry, overwork, loss of sleep, intoxication, the undevelopment of youth or the feebleness of old age. Men of ordinarily good judgment have become nervous and lost their heads in times of crises. The good driver must react quickly, his foot must press the brake pedal, his hand turn the steering wheel almost unconsciously. His mind works reflexively; the gas, the brake, the steering are operated and related to each other so perfectly that the car goes where it should without the conscious mind giving it any particular attention except in cases of emergency. With an untrained mind the car will frequently go where it should not quite as unconsciously as in the other case it goes where it should. The driver looks at a bump in the road and thinks, “I must not hit it,” but he watches it intently and almost as surely hits it. Instances are not uncommon of men who have become drowsy while driving and allowed the car to run into the ditch. Mental and physical alertness have saved many cars from serious accident. Ignorance of how to operate a car may not mean ignorance in other things. Too many persons try to operate a car without knowing anything whatsoever about it except to put on the gas, shift gears, and turn the steering wheel to the right or the left. They frequently lack decision, will power and imagination, or they go to the opposite extreme forget to be courteous and hog the whole road. The driver of a car is like the soldier going into battle, thinks the other man may be hit but not he. The driver, too often, believes himself to be immune. He knows there are bound to be accidents to some but he continues to take chances. Inexperience is as bad as any other kind of ignorance except that the tyro imagines continually that he may have an accident and is always on the watch. He usually, too, drives slowly until self confidence leads him to a quicker pace. Many an ignorant driver may, as the tyro mentioned, be absolutely careful, but not knowing how to manipulate his machine kills the engine in the most dangerous places, or otherwise brings about an accident.

The indifferent or “don’t care” personage is one of the worst offenders. He passes through a string of cars without paying any attention, taking it for granted that the other fellow will do the looking out. He runs over the walk lines without giving thought to the pedestrians who have as much right there as he. It is said that women are more likely to be afflicted with indifferency than men. If this be so, no doubt the scientist could explain it on the theory that for ages women have been given first place by the men, they have seldom been called upon to look out for themselves, but have always depended upon being cared for especially in times of danger, hence now they unconsciously expect all cars, especially those with men drivers, to avoid them. The indifferent person does not look both ways before crossing a railroad track. He starts to walk across a street without noticing whether or not automobiles are coming. He pays no attention to signs and danger signals along the way. He takes dangers as nonchalantly as though driving in the lonely desert. He knows that accidents do happen and imagines that some day or other he will “get his” but thinks that day is always a long time in the future. When spoken to in regard to his careless driving he laughingly puts it off with, “Oh, I am all right. Nothing will happen to me.” But, all too frequently something does happen.

The reckless by nature are not so uncommon as one might think. There is more or less recklessness in all mankind. Else why do they enjoy reading of and seeing deeds of daring? An aeronaut looping-the-loop used to draw hundreds to a fair. When that became common and ceased to produce thrills the daring air man leapt from the plane descending by parachute, or passed from one plane to another. The papers will fill their columns with accounts of a daring flight across the ocean, the people pay for and read these papers because they in a measure satisfy the natural reckless longing of mankind. Wild west stuff in the movies receives a large patronage when everyone knows that the days of uncouth and reckless cow-boyism are gone forever. Horse races and automobile races because of the elements of contest and danger cater to the same wild propensities. When two race horses come beside each other they champ their bits and throw their heads in a wild endeavor to be off. The human animal, too, when another machine tries to pass him, has the same instinctive inclination to keep it from doing so.

Of course there are all degrees of recklessness and it certainly is not to be condoned on the theory that it is an inherited tendency. Might as well say that civilized man should continue the barbarous customs of head-hunting and cannibalism. The time has arrived when all such barbarian actions should absolutely cease. The slogan, “Wreckless, not Reckless,” should govern. Perhaps two-thirds of the automobile accidents can be charged either to carelessness or recklessness on the part of drivers. Can these propensities be done away with? Only by creating a sentiment in favor of careful and safe driving. DRIVE CAREFULLY should not only be posted on the wind shield of every automobile but in the mind and consciousness of every driver.