The Red Flag Act

Oooh.. as I was a dusting around Mr Sand's Emporium, I saw this strange horseless carriage. Looking at the picture, it is "steered" by the gentleman and not a horse.

Further investigation shows that...

Reaction to the introduction of the motor car varied from country to country. In Great Britain it was seen as a threat to the established order, as had been the steam-driven vehicles that preceded it, and restrictive legislation was enacted. The most famous such piece of legislation was that of 1865 which became known as the Red Flag Act. This superseded the Locomotive Act of 1861 and required mechanically-propelled vehicles

• ~to give priority to horses or horse-drawn traffic;
• ~be fitted with two efficient and conspicuous lights, one at each side on the front, from an hour after sunset to an hour before sunrise;
• ~have at least three people to 'drive or conduct' the vehicle, one of whom had to walk at least sixty yards in front of it carrying a red flag to warn horse riders or horse-drawn traffic of its approach.

Keep an eye out for red flags!