direction, with the result that, unless one has the car completely under control and ready to stop at a moment's notice, a bad accident may happen. It is a good rule when meeting with undecided wayfarers to make up one's mind the way one wants to go and continue in that direction; at the same time keep your brakes well in hand, so that if necessary you can pull up dead and avoid striking them.
Lady cyclists are or used to be a great danger, for when a motor was heard approaching them from behind, they usually fell off their bicycles, apparently in terror; but this distressing spectacle is now comparatively seldom seen.
A swerving horse which swings round at the last moment is another danger to be guarded against, and on approaching any horse it is always well to assume—as is too often the case—that it is not under the control of the person driving it; either he is intent on looking at the motor, or very likely he cannot drive. It is advisable to slow down to the pace at which the car can be pulled up immediately a horse shows signs of wanting to monopolise the whole of the road. This danger is very much increased if the horse is attached to a cart with a long piece of timber projecting at the back, as a very small movement of the animal may completely block the road. One or two very bad accidents have occurred thus.
In driving at high speeds avoid trying to look behind. A Belgian nobleman was lately killed owing to taking a glance behind him when driving a racing car. He apparently deflected his steering wheel a little, with the consequence that before he turned his head again the car had dashed into the bank by the roadside. The barbaric system of carrying small water drains in shallow trenches (known in France as caniveaux) across the surface of the road has been the cause of many accidents. They may be found in many French villages and on some English roads. They are difficult to detect, but a good driver should always have an eye for the road and be prepared to slow down to a walking speed in passing over these trenches. The same remarks apply to badly made level crossings of railways,
