TIME-SAVING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 48, 26 February 1935, Page 14

TIME-SAVING.

ON LONG JOURNEYS.

SPEED NOT ESSENTIAL. AVOIDANCE OF FATIGUE. It is an exceptional occasion for most people when they leave on a journey by road at scheduled, time, for it has become a habit of the age to leave things until the last possible moment. Getting one's passengers ready, packing the luggage, filling up and making sure that nothing has been forgotten, always seem to take longer than anticipated. After a belated departure too many drivers imagine that the way to make up for lost time is to drive as fast as conditions permit. This is where they make a mistake, for speed alone will not save much time on any journey, and driving near the maximum speed for a long time will unquestionably tiro most people. They will slack off or stop to rest after a short burst and be overtaken by the car going at a steady cruising speed. If you think it out it is not difficult to see why, for 60 m.p.h. compared with 45 m.p.h. over a, short distance represents very few minutes saving of time; and these minutes gained are lost almost as soon as one stops. Comfortable Cruising. The great thing, then, is to keep going at a comfortable cruising speed, a speed which stresses neither passengers nor car.

} Wise driving in traffic will save time, ■ I too. Think of the time lost when you have to follow a lorry for miles simply 1 because you are too close behind it, and, s ! your view obstructed, you cannot see ; I whether it is safe to pass. It is always eafer and quicker to be some distance 1 behind so that if you pull out to see how ! clear the road is you can always get back ! if it is necessary. Too many people pull , I out from immediately behind a Blow- > moving vehicle to see whether the road is i clear. If the lorry stops suddenly for any reason they will not be able to get I back. Again, when there are two lines of traffic, there is an art in being in the right stream, i.e., the stream in which there is not a horse dray or lorry a few cars ahead. It is simply a matter of looking ahead for any form of possible obstruction. For example, you will waste timo by being in the right-hand stream if the oars in front are going to turn right and will need to wait in order to allow oncoming traffic to pass before doing so. If there are three streams the middle one is usually the quickest moving.

On Hills. On hills you can save time by changing into third r i the moment when ; speed on top begins to fall off and again i early into second if you are obstructed by traffic ahead. If you are already in a low gear you will be able to take j an opportunity of passing when it preI sents itself. "If you wait until you J see the chance before changing you I will waste a few seconds in getting up i the necessary revolutions to pass safely . and quickly. I In descending hills you will be able j to go faster in greater safety by keep- ! ing in third or even second than by 1 going down cautiously in top with the brakes applied.

On corners the driver will always be at an advantage who changes into third as ho slows down. This will give him quicker acceleration out of the corner and greater stability and a wider margin of safety when actually in it. The wrong way to take a sharp bend is to approach it fast in top gear, brake heavily and then change gear. The fastest, safest cornering always gives the impression of smoothness. There should be no jerking and lurching. For one thing, it tires the paesengere, There should always be a margin of safety in case the unexpected is encountered. On a winding road correct cornering methods will eave considerable time. How Time is Lost. More time is lost on a long journey by actual stops than by any other cause. Thefic can be obviated by a little forethought. Stopping to fill up will waste live minutes, to buy cigarettes another five, to secure the luggage another five, to replace a lamp bulb another five, and so on. A meal will probably cause more delay than anything, unless you choose a place where service is known, or can be safely assumed to be quick.

Every motorist should realise, too, that the one way in which not to eave time is by taking unwonted risks; nothing will delay him more effectively than an accident, while argument and the probable showing of his license after an ostentatious piece of driving in a traffic block will nullify all his previous efforts to make up time. Unduly stressing his car, also, will make it more prone to break down, and should be regarded in the same light ae taking risks. Take Care of the Car. Much stress can be saved by being sure that the car is well shod, well tuned and well driven. When the car is going well, you will become less tired in a given distance and be more alert in consequence. You can usually save the necessity for rush by being on the liberal side when estimating your time of arrival, and it is better to send a telegram en route saying that you will be arriving a little later than to attempt to achieve the impossible. Moreover, you will enjoy the journey far more if you do not force yourself by circumstances into regarding your car as a mere means of getting there.