SHE SAYS...

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32588, 23 April 1971, Page 7

SHE SAYS...

When I was walking through the centre of town the other day in the course of a hurried shopping trip, I couldn’t but wonder at the truly remarkable behaviour of so many women pedestrians. I’m told that, the way the law stands, it is pretty impossible for the traffic authorities to enforce any discipline on pedestrians, but you’d think that pure self-preservation would impose some sort of discipline.

It is at pedestrian crossings where you really see the fun. Women, laden with parcels, bustle across the road even after the lights have changed to “Don’t cross,” but many of them follow the example of those I saw the other day. When they see the pedestrian light has turned against them, they scuttle 15ft up the road from the crossing, and cross there, between the cars! A tremendous number, of course, never use the crossIn favour of Vl2s

The designer of the British Leyland Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, has said that future small and mediumsized cars may be built with 12 small cylinders instead of four cylinders, as at present.

Sir Alec Issigonis said this when discussing the announcement of the new Vl2 Jaguar engine. The Vl2 design is more perfectly balanced than any other, he says, and for this reason is favoured by engineers. Manufacturers may go to Vl2 layouts rather than six and eightcylinder cars because these are an engineer compromise, he said.

tags at all. They have their own . techniques for getting across the road between intersections, and scaring or browbeating the traffic into letting them through. The young ladies my father-in-law cynically refers to as “sweet young things” give a haughty “don’t you dare run me down” stare, a giggle, and march straight in front of traffic. The more mature, or ancient (depending on your point of view), specialise in the head-down, eyesfront "I don’t see a thing” approach, and march across glancing neither left nor right.

Men, especially those who consider themselves younger and more sprightly than they are, concentrate on the skip, hop and jump approach, trying to flit across in front of the approaching bumpers with the grace and nonchalance of a Hollywood hero. Both men and women of the ilk who pride themselves on their regal bearing and steely gaze concentrate on marching straight at the side of the oncoming car, fixing the hapless driver with a gimlet gaze, and making it quite clear that they, at least, have no intention of stopping or changing course.

Often the driver threatened by any of the foregoing “types” will give in, stab the brake in alarm, and give way. Further back in the line, someone following too closely does not brake quite quickly enough, panelbeaters and Justice Department rejoice, and insurance premiums go up again. New belt

Rubber friction pads are a feature of a new car seatbelt patented in Britain. When the belt is accelerated above a certain rate, a pad is forced against a rough surface and locks the belt It releases it when pressure is removed. The mechanism is said to be sensitive to both car and passenger movement and is said to be easier to build into a car than other types of reel seat-belt.