Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31041, 22 April 1966, Page 9

Auto Gossip

A.J.P.

by

New Ideas No doubt motorists owe much to science and research, but some of the schemes at present seem most impractical. An example is the research being done in Australia on a radar device which wouM prevent collisions by automatically causing cars to brake and swerve. A scanrier, on the car roof will gather information on surrounding objects, and feed information to a computer which will decide if a collision is likely. If it is, the computer either sound a buzzer, or take over the controls and start evasive action. Doubts I have the gravest doubts about any device which is likely to take control from the driver and then start braking or swerving the car. What would happen in a line of traffic if the, device was “fooled” by a low-flying bird, or a sheet of newspaper blown across the road? And to judge all the factors which must be taken into account when swerving, such as camber changes, surface changes and other traffic, any device would have to be extremely complicated and therefore extremely expensive. Certainly, there seem to be far more pressing and practical problems on which researchers could concentrate. Awakener The same researchers are developing a device to wake the driver if he goes to sleep, and it must be admitted if some of their other plan's came to fruition something probably would be needed to keep the driver awake! Sleep at the wheel admittedly is a serious danger, but of course, a sleepy motorist should not be at the wheel. I doubt if such a device would warn a driver jn time to avert-

trouble, for even a tired driver is less safe because of reduced perception and slower reactions. Anti-Skid The group is also said to be investigating the possibility of a device to stop wheels skidding under heavy braking. It seems it must be rather out of touch with the news, for such a device, the Maxaret brake unit, has been used for several years. It is fitted to a car now on sale in

Britain, the Jensen FF, and has been used on aircraft for a long time. A device which does a similar job has been developed and manufactured by the Lockheed company. Quote of the Week “Lady drivers are surely rather like the little girl who had a curl in the middle of her forehead, ‘ . . . when she was good she was very, very good, but when she was bad she was horrid’.” —R. Thoresby, writing in the “Motor.”