VISIBILITY AND THE DRIVER

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 255, 24 July 1936, Page 17

VISIBILITY AND THE DRIVER

Plenty of Room For Improvement

One of the judges of the coachwork competition section of the recent big motor-car rally conducted by the Royal Automobile Club of Great Britain, and a motorist of long experience, stated that “of the 17 ears that I examined, only two of them allowed me to see the near side mudguard from the driver’s seat. Another five permitted me to have a view of the sidelamp placed on that wing, but on all the others the only thing that came into ray vision on the near side was the edge of the bonnet. The present fashion of fitting high bonnets is responsible for this unsatisfactory state of affairs.” Further criticism from the same authority was directed at the width of the supporting pillars of windscreens, in some cases the obstruction Interfering considerably with the driver’s view of the road. There Is little doubt that present car-body styles do not, in many ipstanees, provide the visibility that was associated with the cars marketed a few years ago. No doubt this disability will in time be overcome; in fact, it needs to be to ensure the utmost safety in the handling of the modern car, with its greater power, speed, and acceleration.