Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31385, 2 June 1967, Page 7

Auto Gossip

[ by

A.J.P.

Welcome News that the Canterbury Driver-Training Association for commercial vehicle drivers is stepping up its activities is very welcome. A few years ago truck drivers were generally regarded as E'od drivers on whom one could rely to do the right thing on the road, but the shortage of drivers In recent yeurs and the big influx of very young drivers with little experience has changed this. The association deserves support from transport operators, the authorities and the drivers themselves, for it is in the interest of all to have bettertrained truck drivers on our roads. Look It Over When you pick up your car from a garage where it has been undergoing repairs it is always worth while taking a quick walk around it to make sure it has not collected any extra dents or scratches while

out of your care. In the bestrun garage tools get dropped and paint can get scratched, but, especially in larger garages, an employee, even if he notices the damage, may be lax in reporting it Safety Checks Many modem cars require lubrication only at extended intervals, and as a result they may be in a garage only two or three times a year. For this reason frequent fitness checks are all the more vital, for there is less chance for an alert mechanic to spot that leaking brake-line, holed muffler or faulty wheel-bear-ing before serious trouble develops. Indeed, when service intervals are so extended the six-monthly warrant of fitness tests become all the more important and useful. After all, the warrant of fitness check is still one of the cheapest ways of having the major safety aspects of a car checked professionally. Gradual Failure If you drive only your own car, some faults can develop so gradually that you do not notice them. For instance a

loss of braking efficiency over several months can be unnoticeable without any basis of comparison. However, if you drive another car and then step back Into your own vehicle you will probably notice the defect immediately, and similarly another driver trying out your vehicle is also likely to notice the fault The old-fashioned advice of trying a panic stop on a deserted road now and then to test the brakes still holds good today. Dollied Up I always expect a sports-car driver to be better than average, for he is likely to be an enthusiast, and has a manoeuvreable and well-balanced car with good performance. Being an enthusiast, he should have a pride in his driving skill and his safety record. Hence my disappointment recently when I saw a red MG B being driven around the city —with a large, distracting, fluffy doll hanging in the centre of the windscreen. Driver, you have let the side down. Quote of the Week “Followed a car with a number plate to end all number plates as far as one-up initials go: either a Rolls or a Bentley ... bore the registration plate ‘SOM 1* an item in the “Motor.”