Winter Roads Are Dangerous

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30121, 3 May 1963, Page 9

Winter Roads Are Dangerous

’’PHE weather has issued a A warning to prepare for winter motoring. Winter driving demands more from both car and driver. A battery which was up to its work during the summer months may fail when used to power heaters, lights, wipers and then to start an ice-cold motor. Tyres which had sufficient grip to give adequate adhesion on dry roads may have insufficient tread to prevent a disastrous skid or slide in the wet.

So it is vital to prepare the vehicle for the work it will have to do. Starting from the ground up, consider the tyres. They should be in good condition with plenty of tread, and they should be inflated to the correct pressures. Tyres Do not wait until tyres are completely bald before scrapping them. It is false economy. Tyre experts recommend the discarding or recapping of all tyres with less than a millimetre (a twenty-fifth of an inch) of tread left. Next, the exhaust system should be in good order. In winter you are much more likely to be driving with windows closed, and a leaking exhaust can be fatal. Check the underside of the car for bare metal and rust patches. Winter conditions will soon seek out bare metal and rust may do tremendous damage in a few months. Special bituminous compounds are available to cover such patches under the car. Rust spots on the bodywork should also be dealt with, and where paint has been chipped it should be retouched. It is cheaper to

do these jobs at once rather than to wait until they have to be done.

Brakes should be in good order and operating with complete efficiency both under 30 m.pJi. and at speed. Brakes that will jusrt pass the test are not good enough. Lighting

It is very important to make sure that ail lights, both front and rear, are operating. Headlights should be checked for adjustment, and reset if they are out. If oncoming drivers have been flashing their lights a lot lately, it is time you had the headlight settings checked. Make sure the rear reflectors have not lost their powers with age. If they have, cover them with reflector tape or have them replaced. A wise move is to stick a piece of reflector tape on the edge of doors on the right hand side of the car. When they are opened at night for passengers or driver to alight, oncoming drivers can see a door has been opened. If the car is likely to be left out at night, particularly in country areas, anti-freeze should be used. It will cost about £1 to protect the average car, small cars wild only cost about 10s. Follow the instructions on the container carefully, and do not mix anti-freeze with other radiator compounds unless the instructions specifically say you can. Steering Make sure the steering gear is in good order, and consult the manual produced by the manufacturer of the car to see what oils are

recommended for winter use. If there are doubts about the condition of the battery, have it checked. Winter is very hard on batteries. In winter the engine runs colder than during the rest of the year. This will result, on short runs, in the oil becoming contaminated with sludge much more quickly. Sludge causes wear, and it is a sound policy to change the oil more frequently in winter than in summer. Similarly, driving through water tends to wash protective grease out of nipples and away from moving parts. This may result in the car requiring greasing more often. Visibility If a heater is fitted make sure it is operating properly and demists the windscreen effectively. It is very important to keep windscreen, sidewindows and rear window clear during winter. Many cars are driven when badlymisted and the driver’s vision is obviously down to a dangerous level.

The screenwasher, where fitted, will also come in for more use during winter, as other vehicles throw up muddy spray from the road

surface. Check the jets to ensure they are operating properly. In cold conditions the water in the screenwasher will sometimes freeze, blocking jets and hoses. This can be avoided by adding two or three tablespoonfuls of methylated spirits to the screenwasher water. Leaks Water leaks can be distracting and make things very uncomfortable. A check can be made by turning the hose on joints when washing the car, and then carefully checking the interior for any signs of leakage. Even new cars are often very far from leakproof. Indeed a water test should be carried out by every person taking delivery of a new car. Driver Driving in bad weather calls for much more concentration and skill than driving on a sunny day. Many winter accidents are caused because drivers are not aware of the limiting factors of bad weaither. A rainy winter's day reduces visibility and increases stopping distances. Drivers

may be made inattentive by discomfort. They mey miss a gear change because of frozen fingers, or be unable to turn the wheel fast enough because of being muffled up in heavy clothing.

The discomfort can be removed by a good car heater, which will also help visibility by demisting the screen. They are an investment in safety as wen as comfort. Adjust Driving Nevertheless, drivers must realise the difficulties and dangers involved in bed weather driving, and adjust their speed and habits accordingly. Many New Zealand drivers follow other vehicles far too closely, even in good weather, and in bad weather this is a fault that is even more dangerous. At night more dangers still are present In Christchurch particularly, the night driver must be on the alert for cyclists without lights. Another danger is that far too many drivers fail to put on their lights until it is really dark.

Pedestrians are also in danger, as many wear dark clothes and fail to realise how hard they are to see.

There are other dangers in wet-weather driving that the driver will learn by experience—the extreme slipperiness of road paints when they are wet, for instance. Remember, too, lhat the first light sprinkle of rain on a dry road makes the surface more slippery than a downpour, which washes off rubber and oil greasiness. All road users, pedestrians, cyclists, motor-cyclists and drivers, must realise the dangers inherent in winter and adjust their habits accordingly. It is too late to do so after an accident has occurred