MOTORS and MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 55, 28 November 1930, Page 7

MOTORS and MOTORING

By

“SPARE WHEEL”

SAFETY PRINCIPLES Valuable Common-sense CHILDREN ON ROADS It may be true that the old German proverb, “Keep the common way and thou art safe,” no longer holds, but it certainly is true that “Keep your head on the common way,” tends toward safety, writes Mr. R. E. Champtaloup, touring manager of the Auckland Automobile Association in an article in which he advocates that the lesson which should be taught both to the old and the young, to pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists is to keep their heads all the time. “The general public,” he adds, “having no organisation of its own, is most difficult to reach, particularly the older generation. By the instruction of the young, who are in reality the motorists of to-morrow, we are hoping that some of the good advice may go back to the parent, and in this way the association is building up the future generation of adults more versed in how to deal with the dangers of today. Pedestrians’ Rights. “A certain amount can be, and has been, done through the courtesy of the Press and the Radio Broadcasting Company, in the way of emphasising the chief points In which pedestrians can protect themselves. The pedestrian has a right to cross the street at a reasonable pace, without hurry or Inconvenience. Every motorist should remember that the right to live is superior to the privilege of driving. Pedestrians with infirmities and also young children should receive the utmost consideration from motorists. Special care should be exercised where pedestrians are numerous. Watch the string of vehicles crossing a street intersection without interruption. Usually the pedestrian remains standing on the corner waiting to cross. Some of the more venturesome ones move on, and, work their way out into the centre of the street, judging the speed of the vehicles, and if they are successful in avoiding accidents, at last reach the other kerb. Others remain on the kerb fearing that the motorist will not recognise their privileges. They know their rights, but are not; always sure that the drivers will recognise them. Perhaps this suspicion is due to a narrow escape in the past Traffic regulations state the rights and privileges of vehicles, but they do not permit the abuse of these rights and privileges and an accident cannot be justified by asserting such rights unless the victim were wilfully negligent Common Sense and Law. “The motorist who uses ordinary good judgment with respect to pedestrians, and drives as he wants others to drive when he is a pedestrian, usually finds himself complying with the established regulations for the public protection. Too many motorists forget their experiences as pedestrians when they are behind the wheel. “In cities it is found that more accidents occur at less busy centres on the way out of town, possibly because they are less well guarded by police, and pedestrians take less care there. The prime injunction for such places is to exercise vigilance and to wait as long as is necessary, and above all, never to' cross without looking both ways. Remember that beyond the city a vehicle is generally moving faster. “During the holiday months, many children are in the habit of jumping on trams at the stops and jumping oft again, directly in the path of traffic. Dtiring such holiday periods motor-car drivers should proceed more carefully when approaching trams, for the children cannot usually be seen until it is too late to avoid striking them. Judgment in Hooting. . “The motorist 1 who blows his horn suddenly when close behind a pedestrian is apt to startle him into doing the wrong thing. The safer way is to sound the horn in time to allow the pedestrian to see the approaching motor vehicle and decide which way to go. This has the added advantage of giving the motorist time to, stop his car if the pedestrian becomes confused or seems unable to get out of the way. “In conclusion,” writes Mr. E. Champtaloup, “I would make an appeal to parents. I have noticed in numerous quarters that children are permitted to play on busy thoroughfares. I would not suggest that the children should be deprived of their games, but that they should be encouraged to select some spot where they would be immune from the dangers of road traffic. Children accustomed to finding amusement'on the road gradually become, what one would term ‘rather cheeky,’ and act in such a way as to confuse a motorist, to the danger of the child. _ Probably the parents would not permit such behaviour if they were aware of the way in which the child were acting, but a busy mother cannot for ever have them under her eye, and I simply throw out the suggestion that where children are inclined to play on the road, especially if it is a thoroughfare that permits fast travelling, the children should be warned of the danger and encouraged to observe the principles of safety first.” PRESERVING COACHWORK Seldom is the body of a car given the attention that it deserves, with the result that trouble often develops and expense is incurred that could be easily avoided. Continual polishing of a car body with unsuitable preparations, especially those which have more than superficial effect, should be avoided. The simplest care of a lacquered finish Is best. Wiping every other day with a very soft cloth is advisable and will allow the fihish to remain lustrous. When the car has accumulated an unusual amount of sand, mud, or dust, then washing is necessary. Plain cold water without soap is best. The roof should be inspected frequently, and when necessary should be treated with a good top-dressing. The top should be washed with water and allowed to dry thoroughly before applying the dressing. If the top has been subjected to unusually severe weather conditions, two coats of dressing should be used. Upholstery should be cleaned once a month, preferably with a vacuum-cleaner; if this is not available, with a whisk broom. Grease spots can be removed with any good, safe cleaning fluid. See that the holddown bolts which fasten the body to the chassis are always kept tight. Loose hold-down bolts cause distortion of door openings, and squeaks..

Husband: You’re going for a drive with me, aren’t you? Wife: I’m not the person to back out. Husband: No, it would be better for the garage if I did.

When washing an oil filter with petrol always pour the petrol on the side opposite to the normal direction of the flow of Oil. Thus the particles of grit will be washed away.

It very often happens that after a car has been washed the brakes prove to be ineffective, and the best way to dry them is to drive at about 25 m.p.h. with the brakes slightly applied. The friction thus set up soon dries the film of water covering the brakes.

On no account heat a soldering iron in a smoky fire. To be successful at soldering everything must be kept spotlessly clean. Should the iron become smoked, however, it should be made redhot before it is cleaned, and then it must be retinned. The parts to be soldered should always be cleaned with a file, sandpaper or benzine, but not petrol, as very often this is too oily. Never touch the parts to be soldered, as hands are always greasy.

Garages are still modern conveniences often produced by builders with little specialised experience, and for this reason many garages are built only just big enough to hold the car for which they are intended. This being so, great care is called for when the car is garaged to see that the front wings do not foul the back wall of the garage. If, however, a fairly thick block of wood is nailed to, the floor of such a height that the wheels cannot run over it, and in a position to stop the car with the front wings just clear of the wall, the car may then be driven slowly into the garage without any risk of damaging the wings.

ABUSE OF AIR STRANGLER The temptation to use the air strangler on a car when starting from cola should not be succumbed to frequently. The strangler prevents air from flow-, ing into the carburettor, which is thus overcharged with a very rich mixture of petrol, which is drawn into the cylinders. When the car is warm it should not be necessary to use the strangler at all, and in any case it should be held only for a few moments and released as soon as the engine fires. If the engine shows signs of stopping pull the strangler out momentarily again. Over-free use of the strangler will cause petrol to wash the oil off the cylinder walls and pass into the crankcase, resulting in damage to working surfaces by spoiling the lubrication. When about to pump up tires some may have missed the rubber washer from the pump connector. If a piece of newspaper is folded in four and a small hole cut in it it will be found to make an excellent washer, especially if covered with rubber solution. EMERGENCY SPANNER In the absence of a small, adjustable spanner, some of the diminutive nuts used, on the carburettor and ignition system may be removed with the aid of a fairly large bolt and two nuts. The two nuts are threaded on to the bolt and arranged so that the gap between them is the same as the distance between the flats of the nut which it is desired to move. This improvised spanner, however, may not be of very great use if the nuts are very tight, but will serve admirably in the majority of cases.

The durability of an under inflated tire is far less than that of one properly inflated. Soft tires become hot at any speed.