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

CHAPTER II Traffic Precautions THE necessity of carefully and systematically training the eye to cover a larger field of obser- vation than that which is immediately in front of one has been alluded to at some length, and it is equally essential to train the eye to similar activity when driving in traffic. The possession of a well-trained eye, working in conjunction with what one might term an intuitive mind, is of the greatest pos- sible use to the driver in guarding against the vagaries of various road-users in towns. Corners and cross-roads should always be a subsi- diary field of observation. The badly-driven, or too- quiokly-driven, car coming round the comer should always be considered a possibility, and whilst it is, of course, chiefly advisable to have the main subsidiary outlook on the corner on the side of the road on which one is travelling, nevertheless practice will gradually enable the driver to have a pretty general observation of the corner on the right-hand side of the road as well. So many of the accidents which do happen occur at cross-roads that the importance of this factor cannot well be over-rated. In all large towns, especially where commercial motors are much in evidence, the eye should also be trained to foresee the many vagaries in which these vehicles are in the habit of indulging. For instance, when overtaking a line of buses at the corner, it not infrequently happens that one of the middle ones will, without the slightest warning whatsoever, turn out into the road at full lock, and this at a comparatively good speed. 10