MOTORING

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20273, 26 June 1931, Page 6

MOTORING

paragraphs of Interest to motorists for this page. DANGER IN OARS. According to statistics supplied by an American State Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, the theory that old cars are more dangerous to the public than new ones is quite wrong. Figures compiled by his Department, he said, proved that upon inspection cars which were comparatively new were found to require more adjustment or other service work to render them perfectly safe than did comparatively old ones. "A man will sometimes drive his new car with an unwarranted feeling of security, thinking that it needs no adjustment of the brakes, for instance, when really they ought to be adjusted; on the other hand, the driver of an old car, realising that it requires more or less frequent attention to keep it in fairly good condition, makes sure that its requirements are not overlooked. Passing on to the value of. statistics in determining the reasons for accidents, he said that the records of his Department showed that car fires were not often caused by mechanical defects or defective wiring but generally followed a collision, which gave rise to preventible conditions, such as the breaking of an ignition wire and the simultaneous spilling of petrol. Arising out of that he considered that there was need for a device which would switch off the ignition when a car was upset.

BY "ROADSTER."