Safe Speed Forums

Whilst on holiday in Hay on Wye a week or so back, I bought a 1st Ed. copy of a book called “Motorcars” by Phillip A Turner (Published by Temple in association with “The Motor” in 1958).

The last chapter of the book is titled “Drive and Say Alive” and struck with me great sadness at our inability to learn.

Some quotes from that chapter of this 50ish year old book:

[following having passed the driving test] “far too many people let the matter drop, and take no further interest in improving their driving.”

“…it is literally true that a man – or a woman – who can really drive a car, as opposed to merely sitting in it and going through the motions, will save their and other people’s necks time and again.”

“… being a courteous driver is almost as important as being a skilled one … By being a courteous driver I do not mean that self-inflated little prig who creeps about in a perfect frenzy of hand signals, telling everyone else what to do, and dithering about, and generally getting in the way. … The good driver shows his courtesy not by flapping his arms out of the window but by doing all he can to assist the other man. … One courteous act, therefore may spread its good effect for5 miles down the road.”

“For some obscure reason, courteous driving is always associated in the minds of many people with slow driving – I suppose because the idea that has persisted ever since the beginning of motoring in this country, that the fast driver is an unspeakable cad, dies very hard. Yet often I find that it is the slow driver who is completely lacking in manners.”

“I would go so far as to say that the overwhelming majority of the good drivers one meets on the roads are fast drivers – but by no means all fast drivers are good drivers”

“To drive well [the new driver] must cultivate the most difficult art of relaxed concentration.”

“… it requires a real effort of will to concentrate on one’s driving the whole time, but the very fact that one is interested can be of great help in this direction. … “

A lot of truth there Prof.

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Semper in excreta, nur quantitat variat.

here here, genius

I was given that book by a grandparent when I was 6 years old (he was cleaning out his loft.) I loved it and read it many times. It got me really interested in cars and driving. It's still on my shelf somewhere at home now.

I remember all the quotes you put up there ('little prig' sticks in my mind for some reason) and the last chapter especially. The messages there still resound and I'm sure it's my subconcious remembering the book at work when I move over to help someone behind overtake whose obviously 'making progress'.

Fantastic stuff, every page. The DVLA should give a copy to every kid in the country. Thanks for reminding me of this prof!

Now let's get the SCP bosses in and get the above stamped on their foreheads ( they don't need to read it ,just publisise it)

As SS says "lets get this country back to the old SAFE ways of driving"

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I'm also starting to read another book I bought in Hay called "Driving as an Art" by S C H Davies of the "Autocar" (2nd edition 1957). (Originally published in 1952)

It contains the following gems:

"Now the motorist of today is not a person naturally inclined to break the law, but he cannot be blamed for regarding low speed limits in places where there is no traffic worth speaking about as more nuisance value than sense."

and

"...there are so many streches where the limit is manifestly absurd, and for obvious reasons the4se are most suitable for "timed furlongs" "

Plus ca change!!!!