How To Drive A Motorcar
A Key To The Subtleties Of Motoring

WHEN NOT TO USE THE HORN The writer had a funny experience once in this con- nection, when an elderly woman suddenly ran out into the road to catch a child who was up to mischief of some sort on the other side of the road. It was just such an instance as that put forward as an example. Sufficiently gentle brake application was applied so as not to make enough noise to attract the old lady's attention and the car was just swung round the back of her, giving her undoubtedly a nasty start. Now for the sequence. Just as the writer was congratulating himself on his judgment, a violent tirade of abuse eame from the passenger in the back of the car, as to why this, that, and the other the horn had not been blown ! It was disgracefully bad driving, and everything that was wrong—and so forth. It is a thousand to one, however, that if the horn had been blown both of us would have been involved in a nasty accident. It was quite impossible to have swung out sufficiently to the right on account of the road being occupied by a big two-horse dray, and any hesitation or slackening of speed on her part would have rendered a passage to the left of her impossible. Other folk were on the path to the left, so even if one should have successfully negotiated the kerbstone to get on the path an accident would have occurred there. Yet again, a violent brake application in endeavour- ing to stop would have made enough noise owing to ihe skidding of the wheels to attract her attention and cause her to hesitate, so that again an accident would have occurred, though naturally at a less destructive speed. No ! the course adopted was absolutely the proper one for the circumstances existing, and although one was naturally very sorry to cause the old lady such a shock, nevertheless it was more than enough consolation to know that one’s judgment had saved her from being involved in a nasty accident. Remember, then, that it is not always the safest thing to do to blow the horn, any more than it is always the safest thing to put on the brake in a case of emergency. In exactly the same way as acceleration is 125