DANGERS OF OVERLOADING

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LX, Issue 91, 17 November 1939, Page 6

DANGERS OF OVERLOADING

.*. A WORD OF WARNING AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION'S MESSAGE "There is so much, overcrowding and overloading of motor-cars tliat a word of warning is in season against a practice fraught with considerable danger for drivers and passengers," says the latest road safety message of the Automobile Association, Canterbury;, Inc. "Not only are many motor-cars overloaded, but there is uneven distribution of the load, a fact obvious in the tilt of the rear end and the flattened springs. The effect of overloading is one of danger for all concerned as braking efficiency, cornering, springs, steering, tyres, acceleration, indeed general safe roadability, are adversely affected, and when the overloading in weight is allied to overcrowding, particularly of the driver's compartment, the ingredients are present for serious trouble. Quite obviously overloading calls for especial care, and a most cautious technique, as greater allowances must be made in what is normally expected of tyres, brakes and acceleration. Many natural forces come into play which call for studied control and speed, and the driver who applies stereotyped driving habits to his motoring whetEer his car is running light or heavy is looking for much trouble. "The driver who allows his front compartment to Be crowded so that he is crammed against his door, and has not ready access to the hand-brake lever, the foot controls or the warning device, and is unable to give easy and proper hand signals, is not acting in the interests of the safety of himself, his passengers, or other \road users. Such overcrowding means, too, that the driver is unable to make effective use, as he should always, of the rear-view mirror. A crowded rear seat means a blocked rearward view. "The dangers of overloading and overcrowding are so palpably plain to drivers that a is strange that greater care is not taken to avoid them. It might oe an advantage to have a lot of company on your motor-run, but it would be better to have a little safety."