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Rules of the road change over time
Honking suggested in old traffic rules

Joyce Edlefsen
Rexburg Standard Journal

ST. ANTHONY - Someday ordinances on the books for 2009 might appear archaic to folks who find them in old books - just as the rules from the 1920s discovered recently in an old audit report are amusing now.

A family member recently gave Fremont County Clerk Abbie Mace a booklet labeled "Financial Report Fremont County, Idaho" and dated from Jan. 10, 1899, to Jan. 10, 1907.

Mace said she was given the book because of her job with the county.

"Nobody else would think it was interesting," Mace said.

Some of the pages are gone, but it provides a snapshot of the finances back when Fremont County included Madison, Teton and Clark counties as well.

Mace also found a 4-inch-by-5-inch card inside the book. The card is titled "Traffic Rules for St. Anthony, Idaho," and includes this advice: "'Reckless Driving' Ordinance No. 263 governs your driving. Be careful."

And here are the rules:

When moving keep near right hand curb; when you stop, park your car. Always park your car, right front wheel to curb at a 45-degree angle.
Keep cut-out closed. (Open cutouts were apparently noisier or more hazardous.)
In turning to the left go to the intersection of street, around the marker or center, and signal intent to turn with left hand.
Vehicle at the right has right of way at all times.
Backing vehicle across the street is prohibited.
Car must not be left with motor running.
Keep lights on after dark.
In overtaking vehicles and intending to pass, pass to the left.
Do not pass at street intersections.
No one under 16 years of age shall drive a motor vehicle.
In entering or emerging from garage or alley, sound horn at all times and do not travel at a speed exceeding 4 miles per hour.

Back in the 1920s, automobiles were relatively new to the upper valley, having been mass-produced in the U.S. only since the early 1900s.

While some of the rules obviously are outdated, some curiously still apply.