Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33064, 3 November 1972, Page 6

Auto Gossip

by

A. J. P.

Caravan problem Those of us who do not pull caravans at week-ends often blame those who do for causing traffic hold-ups, and those long, slow lines of traffic that often build up behind caravans. But it is not always the fault of the caravan-towing motorist, a reader has said. A man new to caravanning, he ventured forth one recent week-end determined that he, at least, would not be the cause of undue traffic hold-ups. But his biggest problem turned out to be that all too often the

driver immediately behind him would not overtake even when given ample opportunity to do so. As a result, the combined length of the tow-car, caravan, and the vehicle behind it was too much for the second man in line to overtake. Not to blame The position often became ridiculous, the reader said. He would slow and pull over when there was a clear opportunity for the man behind him to pass, but to no avail. Sometimes he slowed to less than 15 miles an hour before the fellow behind would work up enough courage to pass. At times it was easiest just to pull right off the road. So next time you see a caravan at the head of a queue of traffic, do not automatically blame the man towing the caravan — as often as not the one or two cars directly behind him bear much of the blame. Shingle menace In spite of this, it must be admitted that caravans do cause hold-ups on the road at times, especially in heavy traffic. Occasionally caravanners themselves make it extremely difficult for others to overtake by travelling in close convoy: it may often be possible to overtake one caravan and tow-car, but the times when there will be a safe opportunity to pass two of the things are rare in weekend traffic on the main roads. Nor do caravanners always help when they pull into the shingle at the side of the road in an effort to encourage others to overtake. Shingle often showers up from their wheels, to the danger of the windscreens of cars behind. This

is yet another argument in favour of the sealing of road verges, for roadside shingle is responsible for many broken windscreens, much chipped paint and shattered headlights, and not a few cases of loss of control. Skid training Even these days, there are many motorists about who do not know how to drive in shingle, and who have very little idea of what to do should a skid develop. I have always been in favour of skid training for drivers — which requires a skid-pan facility — and, if anything, I think this is becoming more necessary as time goes on. As roads improve, and more of them are sealed, even more of our drivers are quite unused to shingle driving. Again, as traffic becomes heavier, our sealed roads become even more slippery from deposited oil and rubber when those dangerous little summer showers fall. The number of skidding accidents throughout New Zealand in any given year is surprisingly high, and many could be avoided if even an hour of skid-pan training was part of the training of every driver.