PREVENTION OF SKIDDING

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23094, 9 August 1940, Page 4

PREVENTION OF SKIDDING

♦ DANGEROUS SURFACES IN WINTER ADVICE TO MOTORISTS "This is the skid time of the year, the time when motorists must pay closer attention i than usual to the condition of road surfaces, whether they are paved or not. Winter grime on the roads is a threat to safety,” says the latest road safety message of the Automobile Association, Canterbury. “Safe and rational driving habits must be cultivated where there is danger of skidding. The car must be in good adjustment. Brakes must be even and not grabbing; pedal pressure steady, not sudden. Locked rear wheels have no sense of direction, and usually slide sideways. Locked front wheels act likewise,, regardless of steering wheel angling. Most braking systems are fully adjustable to obtain even wheel adhesion.- Rear wheels fend to lock before front ones, because of forward weight transference. “Dry, stiff, springs are held by some authorities to promote skidding, since supple and lively springs give the tyres a better chance of maintaining continuous rolling contact with the road surface. Shock absorbers prevent undue lurching and pitching of the car on its spring base, but if they are over-hard in action the springing is stiffened. Over-inflation of the tyres, smooth worn breads, and unbalanced pressures (low one side! are recognised causes of skidding. “Do not follow in grooved tram tracks, as there may be a bad skid when the front wheels are suddenly freed. Some cars tend to 'shy’ at tram lines, and simply will not follow them. Overloading at the rear, sudden braking or cornering, and negatively banked corners must be avoided. Tyre chains are essential in heavy mud and other back-country conditions, such as snow, ice, and surfaces made greasy by rain. “There have been instances of city motorists and others setting off into the back country on long trips without making provision for chains or a piece of stout' rojje for towing. purposes. Indeed, a piece of rope twined round a wheel and used as a chain has helped many a motprist caught on a difficult road.”