178 The Farmer's Business Handbook 



son who uses a highway, whether he be on foot 

 or in a vehicle, or however he may be traveling, 

 must always use reasonable care to avoid harm- 

 ing another and to prevent another harming him. 

 This rule is so strong that one may, and many 

 times must, ignore entirely the so-called "law of 

 the road" if, by so doing, he will avoid the 

 threatening harm. In other words, one may not 

 arbitrarily rely upon the "law of the road" in 

 times when it is evident that harm will come to 

 him or to another if he does so, but upon all 

 such occasions he must use all reasonable means 

 to avoid the harm. In the case of street rail- 

 way cars, not only must he do this, but the 

 courts have held that, in addition, it is his duty, 

 if he is driving on or near the track, to look 

 back with reasonable frequency to note any ap- 

 proaching car, and that his failure so to do may 

 constitute contributory negligence, barring his 

 recovery for any damage which may occur. 



No person has a right unreasonably to obstruct, 

 even for a moment, the free use of the highway 

 by others, or to impede any legal rate of speed 

 at which they are traveling So, too, no person 

 has a right to drive stock along a highway 

 without suitable attendance, or to drive or lead 

 vicious animals without taking every reasonable 

 safeguard. 



In New York, vehicles propelled by steam or 



