Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32797, 23 December 1971, Page 9

Auto Gossip

by

A.J.P.

Belt attitudes Interesting, the attitude of taxi-drivers towards seat-belts. Most of them are vehemently opposed to them, and many, of course, remove them from their cars as soon as they have obtained a warrant of fitness. In most other cars, they are unusable. The argument that some villain may use the belt to choke the driver has some merit, at least when the belt is not being worn. The argument that the driver would be fastening and unfastening the thing all day as he opened doors and used his radio would have more force if drivers were, in

fact, seen to open doors with any great frequency, but the argument does indeed have some merit. “It doesn’t work” But when it comes to the refusal of some drivers to provide belts for their frontseat passengers, or at least to have them arranged sp .they can be worn, there is no possible excuse. When I tried to.use the belt in a taxi the other day, the driver said shortly "It doesn't work.” When I asked why, all I got was a long silence. I was eventually told I was the only passenger who had attempted to wear the belt in two years, which may have been true, and that I could wear it if I could find the end of it and adjust it, because it had never before been off its hook.

Airport scene ■ If you are in favour of wearing belts, the best idea in a taxi is undoubtedly to use the back seat and avoid the problem that way. I did hear of one man who, on starting to step into a taxi at an airport, found there were no belts in it. Saying, “Sorry, there are no belts in this car,” he walked back to the next cab in the line, stepped in, and belted up. There was quite a scene for a while, I’m told, while the first driver disputed his right to do this —but in the end, he won his point. Few people are likely to bother provoking a scene like this. But while I agree there can be problems with belts in taxis, I feel that if the law requires them to be there, they should be there—and they should be usable.

Look, no hands One taxi-driver I rode with recently was an amazing fellow. His cab, although a late model, had no belts in it, but what interested me most was his way of gesticulating widely with both hands as he drove and talked, and the way he always started in second gear, changed from there into fourth, and then did everything to avoid .changing down again—including slipping the clutch. He even managed to stall the thing once. But there are hundreds of ordinary drivers with similar faults, and many of our Christchurch taxi-drivers are skilful,' competent, and polite, and the condition of their cars is a credit to them. Perhaps that is why some of the others stand out. Perhaps, too, one automatically regards taxidrivers as professionals, and therefore those who set a standard. And if Mr Average does something daft on the road only a few notice, but everyone notices :a carve-up by a taxi-driver, and tells all his friends about it, too.