ARE YOU SAFE ENOUGH TO HAVE A CAR?

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32018, 19 June 1969, Page 12

ARE YOU SAFE ENOUGH TO HAVE A CAR?

Over recent years the standard of safety in automobiles has increased, partly through public and government pressure, but largely through tibe manufacturers’ own efforts, but unfortunately the standard of safety in driving habits has not had the same increases.

All drivers can improve their standard of control, persistently practise their techniques and driving ability and make every single manoeuvre a calculated, carefully thought out plan aiming at perfection all the time and in this way the average motorist can do much to ease the problem of road accidents.

It should not be difficult for the average intelligent driver to apply a natural instinct for planning to driving. Good driving amounts to being on the rjght part of the road in the correct gear and travelling at a speed consistent with safety and prevailing conditions.

The first and last of these factors are so obvious, but the importance of “the correct gear” is not always appreciated.

There are three primary means of dealing with an emergency: one is to steer away from it, another is to brake, and the third is to accelerate—and it is often possible to accelerate out of danger, whereas to brake would mean stopping right in front of it. But remember, you have good. acceleration only when your engine is pulling the right gear. To know whether you are in the right gear, get into the habit of asking yourself, as you drive —“lf I accelerate at this precise moment, would my speed increase rapidly or would the engine fail to respond?” The real art of driving is based <on what is known as systematic car control. Learn this thoroughly, apply it consistently and.it will , become instinctive. Then your driving difficulties will disappear. You will arrive at all hazards on the right part of the road, in the right gear and at the right speed with only one job to do with your hands—to turn the steering wheel—and one job to do with your feet —accelerate or brake. By applying the system you will also obviate that very common fault of so many drivers —releasing the steering wheel with both hands while changing gear and signalling—all simultaneously. To learn the system you should imitate the air pilot’s drill—remember the initial letters of a series of operations. Here they are: C.M.S.B.G.A. representing the words: Course, Mirror, Signal, Brake, Gear, Accelerator. This is how to put the drill into practice:— C.—Mentally select the correct course. (Which for turning to the right would be with the offside wheels just inside the centre of the white line). M.—Check in the rear mirror(s) if all is clear behind, and do not overlook the blind spot. S.—Give a dear signal and take up a position when it is safe to do so. B.—Brake, while the car is travelling in a straight line, to bring the car’s

speed down to a pace appropriate for changing into the correct gear for negotiating the corner. G.—Change into the correct gear and again check following traffic in your mirror(s) in case someone may attempt to overtake in spite of all your precautions. The gear selected will depend on traffic conditions. Should there be no approaching traffic, the gear next below top may be quite adequate, but, if you have to reduce speed to a crawl, you may require to change down again. A. —Apply acceleration correctly. The’ most likely place for a skid would be as you are turning, so, if the road is wet, greasy, loose, or liable in any way to encourage skidding, keep the car under very gentle acceleration as you make the turn and apply firm acceleration only when it is once more travelling in a straight line. On a firm dry road you should apply acceleration as you make the turn. A golden rule is always pass round the back of oncoming traffic, never to cut across the front of it. You could be involved in a very serious accident if an oncoming vehicle was screened from your vision, and its driver failed to see you because you, too, were hidden from him. Admittedly there are crossings where, because the roads are, to some • extent, staggered, it is a difficult matter to adhere to this rule. Sometimes another driver will force you into making a nearside to nearside turn: when this is the case be very careful indeed of traffic coming from your left as you could quite easily be held to be in the wrong. Driving does demand 100 per cent concentration, observation and anticipation. But the secret of good driving is not so much a matter of intense concentration on the obvious as of intelligent anticipation. In some ways it is like a game of detection, searching for and interpreting the clues—and this means reading the road like a book. You will be amazed how skilful you can become with practice, and there is a tremendous amount of satisfaction each time you save others, from the folly of their own action. Good visibility is the first essential. Never start a journey with dirty, frozen, or misted windows. Check that your rear vision mirror really gives you a proper view of what is behind. When you start your car give particular attention to the immediate surroundings, but, as your speed increases, your observations should be taken further ahead. Pay particular attention to road surfaces and vary your speed according to their conditions.

Always assume that a child, dog or even an elderly person will step on to the road carelessly and without warning; and that a cyclist will wobble or dive across in front of your vehicle without signalling or looking behind. Keep your eyes open for feet visible through the gap under a stationary vehicle, for puffs of exhaust smoke which will tell you that it is likely to move off; for reflections of vehicles in shop windows at road junctions; for passengers walking towards the rear door of a moving bus, which is an indication that the bus is likely to stop. Try to position your car (without driving in echelon) so that you can observe the braking lights of a vehicle in front of the one which you are following; in this way you

can anticipate stops and reduce the dangers of someone running into the back of your car.

Wheel tracks or mud dropped from vehicles on country roads will warn you of hidden entrances to gateways, and the shadow on the road can often tell you whether a gate is open or shut. Tradesmen’s vehicles parked on the roadside, and particularly milk trucks and bread vans encountered in the early hours of the morning should be a warning that someone may dash from behind it, or a milkman or baker may cross the road to get another pint or loaf. Keep a sharp look-out for “School” and “Children” signs, and adjust your speed accordingly. Always follow the advice given in the High way Code—when in doubt hold back.”

Cover your footbrake pedal at the first sign of danger; this will reduce your over-all thinking and braking distance by at least 22 feet from 30 miles an hour.