Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30632, 24 December 1964, Page 9

Auto Gossip

by

A.J.P.

a crosswind. Similarly brak- c ing is adversely affected, and e thus overloading is a very ( real danger. If you are tow- c ing a caravan please show con- I sideration for other traffic, < and if you see in your mirror s that traffic is building up be- < hind you, move over, if neces- t sary stop, and let it pass. If 1 road users are to have a safe s and happy Christmas, every- t one will have to be patient, 1 courteous, and careful. i Elbows i A colleague carried out a brief survey in the city a few days ago, and in a very short distance on a Sunday he counted more than 20 drivers with their elbows protruding from the window, resting on the sill. This is a far more dangerous practice than most realise, and more than one driver has had his arm torn off by a truck tray or another vehicle as a result of it. Also, following drivers are sometimes confused into thinking the arm is a signal, and this can easily lead to a dangerous situation. There is a great deal to be said for ■ an Australian law which pro--1 hibits putting anything out the window except to make a ; signal. 1 Signals Signals are vital to road t safety, and it is encouraging ! that at last more drivers are 1 starting to make proper use , of their flashing indicators. ! But hand signals, which are all too rare, leave a great deal to be desired. Usually the signal is so sloppily f given it can mean, “I am go- » ing to turn right,” “I am going to stop,” or perhaps, f “I am about to submerge.” . Use your mirror and give i clear signals well before ? making a manoeuvre. Fumes - A reader complains about the choking clouds of smoke and fumes which too many

diesel vehicles in the city emit from their exhausts. Generally this is a sign of careless maintenance, and heavy commercial vehicles are the worst offenders. Occasionally one also sees a bus emitting clouds of fumes, but this is more rare, and maintenance is obviously of a good standard. Diesel fumes coat windscreens with a slimy film, as well as being most unpleasant to breathe, and some operators need to take considerably more care of their fuel-injection systems. Quote of the Week “The basic case for urban motorways rather than street widening or the construction of new multi-purpose streets is very simple. An urban motorway can carry more than four times as much traffic as an ordinary wide road at speeds 50 per cent higher, and in two-thirds of the width.”—Alan Day, reader 1 in economics at London University, on the necessity for urban motorways.