MOTOR NOTES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 232, 28 June 1935, Page 15

MOTOR NOTES

Some Dead Letters

FORGOTTEN RULES Enforcement or Changes Needed

: Headlight.)

(By

Either the amendment of some of the regulations and by-laws which govern motor vehicles and traffic on New Zealand roads or their enforcement is due. Rules which are not enforced become worse than useless, for they are forgotten bv the public and then are nothing more "than a trap. Probably many who have taken up motoring since the regulations were introduced would be surprised to find the numerous ways in which they break the law. Some of the more impracticable regulations were eliminated two years ago, but there remain still some that are falling into disuetude. As examples, regulations apply ng to the equipment of cars may be mentioned. The regulations decree that only one taillight shall be carried and that it must be on’ the right-hand side at or near the level of the chassis frame, yet every day more and more cars are placed on ■ the road which break this rule. Some cats have a light on either side, some have one in the centre, and some have then light so high that it certainly could not be described as at or near the frame. There is a regulation which directs that a motor vehicle shall be equipped with a “reflector or periscope enabling tne driver to be aware of the existence or approach of any vehicle on the right-hand side behind the driver.” but few modern cars carry the type of mirror obviously contemplated by the framers of this—a mirror outside the car to the right ot the driver. Few drivers of cars that do not comply with these regulations realise that they could be convicted. An officer may even prevent the offending vehicle being used, without other authority. Coming to the conduct of vehicles on the road, one meets numerous popular breaches. Cars parked at night should be lighted, except in certain circumstances. The place where they are must be exempt and a notice must be posted to say so, or it must be adequately lighted by street lamps. Cars are nearly always left unlighted in Wellington, many times' in places where there is no street lamp and certainly where there is no notice.. Also methods of parking are varied at the whim of the driver, although the Wellington by-laws are definite that cars shall be parked parallel to. the curb unless there is some indication that they are to be placed otherwise. Mercer Street is one of those places where this by-law is broken almost nightly. During the day ears are usually parked parallel to the curb, but at night they are often backed in without authority. The car of the unfortunate driver who has parked according to the law early in the evening and who desires to move off sooner than the others nearby may find that it. is held prisoner by cars backed in close in front and behind in contravention of the bylaw.

The case for having good laws and enforcing them is strong. One ot the most significant aspects of the recent, “road revolution” in England has been the nearly complete obedience that has been given by motorists to the new rules, even though many disapprove of them.

SIXTEEN OILLESS MILES’ •Striking tests with two brand new cars were carried out recently by the proprietors of a brand of oil. The engines had given similar beifeh test results, and the cars were run in together for 500 miles round Brooklaud* track, England, the sump of one being filled witli the firm’s oil and the other with a standard firstclass oil of another make. The sumps were drained and refilled and the ears then did another 50 miles. The sumps were then drained again and the two cat’s set to run together at 30 ni.p.h. until the engines failed. The first engine broke down after 9.6 miles, but the car which had been running on the firm’s oil covered a total of 16 miles before breaking down. All big-ends had run and the camshafts had seized in both engines. Cylinders and pistons were still in good condition. A.A. PRODUCES FILM An extension of Automobile Association activity was inaugurated in Auckland oil a recent evening, when the first motion picture produced by the association there was screened for the approval of the executive council. A number of others present enjoyed the quick changing scenes, which illustrated the various phases of the association’s many services. The 16 mm. film was greatly magnified and showed splendidly on a 14-foot screen. It is proposed io utilise this film at association meetings in country district*?, together with travel scenes of New Zealand and overseas countries. Further proposals to be discussed by the council include safety first propaganda. This will embody films illustrating the dangers resultant from the non-observ-ance of-the motor regulations or the requirements of ordinary safety first principles. The latest motor-cars are so silent that the noise created by the radiator fan i« noticeable, and so, in some models, the blades are spaced unevenly to make the fan quieter. Miss Fay Taylonr. who wns in New Zealand several years ago riding in dirttrack motor-cycle races, is now mentioned as a competitor in a motor-car hill climb in England.