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Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20997, 27 October 1933, Page 6

"Roadster"' Invites articles and : paragraphs of interest to motorists I for tliis page. Tiic eroding of the ford over the | Waimakariri at the Bealcy, on the Christchurcli-West Coast road, t.vill probably be made much more pleasant for motorists, and certainly more satisfactory for the motor-car, bv 1)io introduction of a new lowing system. Instead of the horses being hitched to the motor-car. and the vehicles dragged oyer the bed of the ' stream through the water, the car ill ! be driyen on to a trolley—something ■ in the; nature of a wheeled punt ! and nulled across in that way. Horses will still have to be used, of course, 1 but the great advantage of ihe inno- ' vation for the motorists will be that | the car will not enter the water at \ all. it is expected that the; new system j will be in 'operation to-morrow. The 1 secr-'.'tnrv of the Canterbury Automo- ! bile Association. Mr J. S. Hawkey, will | probably visit the ford to inspect the j new trolley on Sunday. I Afore than 06.000 ears were regisI tercel in Japan at the beginning of the i present year. 1 ' j A solemn warning to the effect that J the police have been instructed to pay S far more attention to inadequate j hand signalling by drivers has been issued bv Lord Tronchard, says an | English motoring journal. There are people who say cyclists i should not be taxed because the l damage they do to the roads is nil. 1 On that argument the owners of small i cars, taxed at, £B, are paying about ' £7 19s too much, says the "Autocar." ' Points often overlooked are these: While cyclists do no damage to the roads, they are getting the advantage of the money extracted from motorists, and should pay their share; also their increasing numbers on the roads are making it necessary to build more roads. Two cyclists riding abreast occupy the same space as a lorry, sometimes more. An English coroner's advice to motorists when dealing with pedestrians was: "It is no use trying to dodge them; they will beat you in the end.'' Ke advised motorists to pull up completely when they saw pedestrians crossing the street in a nervous, erratic manner.

When hydraulic brakes show a tendency to act slowly, it is a good plan to drain out the old fluid and replace it with new. Slowing up a hydraulic action is usually caused by the old .fluid becoming dense or heavy. A piece of grit wliibh prevents an aii-tight seating is often the cause of a leaky tyre valve. After the car has been washed and before it is driven in traftic it should be driven a short distance with the brakes applied. Some brake linings absorb a large amount of water and vili slip until ii has evaporated. if the engine runs irregularly or appears to have less than normal power, it can be determined whether or not the nnilller is causing the trouble by disconnecting the exhaust i pipe and noting if there is any improvement in the engine's perform - I ance. Something new in the way of car fitments is a courtesy signal produced bv an English Jin.-.. The purpose is suitably to recognise; to other drivers the fact that they have facilitated passing. The device consists pimply of a lamp the glass of winch bears the words 1 "Thank you," on a dark background. A switch oil the facia board controls the operation. The price is 12s (id, or 15s complete with bulb. Cameras have been issued to members of the police force at Gravesend. England. They are thus able to sup--1 ply the pictorial evidence to add to their reports, A correspondent in an overseas journal recently mentioned the fact thai, a puncture-proof tyre has been on the market in the United States for some time. »nd has proved a conspicuous success, in spite of its price. It takes the form of a special inner tube, in which a strip of canvas is sandwiched in between two layers of thick rubber. The canvas strip i; so arranged that it comes directly underneath the tread oi the tyre, but does not. extend opposite the side walls. Instead of being so constructed that it fits the rim, the puncture-proof tube is made to the actual size of the tyre, and is cojise- ( C(uentlv slightly more dillicull to lit than the ordinary tube. If a nail should penetrate the tread and reach' this tube, on it.-, withdrawal flic canvas automatically seals the puncture It is claimed that under favourable conditions the tubes will outlast the life of the car. but the disadvantage of their use in tropical countries is that the very thick lube results in increased frictional heat, so that sometimes a blow-out is caused

ROAD SAFETY

AMERICAN EX!'ICRIME.NT Thv month uf September was proclaimed in the United States as "Highway Safety Month." "Caution"' was the watchword and co-operation the keynote. In a forecast, the New York "Times" motoring wriier said it would inaugurate, perhaps, the greatest. concerted movement in the country to cheek the toll of motor accidents. .September was chosen because it is one 01 the worst months in America for accidents. It is a back-.from-vaca- ; tion period, with millions of people I blocking the routes; from seaside and ; other resorts back to the conge.st.ed : areas; of the great cities. The roads are ! .slippery with fallen leaves, the day- | light hours are rapidly closing in, and frequent rain and fog make visibility poor. At the time the article was written the authorities of territory containing nearly 74 per cent, of the population of the United States has signified their intention of participating in the acci-dent-prevention movement, territory accounting for 75 per cent, of the ownership of vehicles and for 22,000 out of 29.000 people who lost their lives in motor accidents last year. Besides the state governors and local authorities a tlood of organisations covering the police and. motoring. the American Legion, notary, and many others throughout the whole country announced their intention of lending active support. 11 is felt, that education -alone. legislation alone, and police alone will not succeed in checking highway accidents, but that cooperation alone on a wide scale if-; the onlv way to betterment. One governor urged that. "whole-hearted co-opera-tion" will: officials was necessary for the proper Piiforcement of regulations. It was the public attitude of nidi/Terence towards motoring mishaps that had in some cases delayed the reduction of the accident total.