The Motor

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 90, 13 October 1923, Page 23

The Motor

RULES FOR ROAD USERS

No good motorist drives carelessly, whether in the streets or on an open, straight stretch of road; no good motorist but desire 3to gee the number of accidents reduced, even eliminated. But he is entitled to. ask,the public to take its part in the business, and that the public hafe a part is evident to anyone who has studied traffic conditions. As a body motorists admit their .responsibility and are prepared to act up to it, but that does not-iffeet the whole situation. Pretty nearly everything that can be said, and said briefly, is to be found in the following rules, and recommendations for users of the road, published by the Royal Automobile Club of Scotland in their . new handbook. They are good, sound, sane; they deserve wider publication than can be given by a handbook issued only to members, and because of that they are reproduced here. It will be noted that they apply to drivers of vehicles and cycliats, to pedestrians, and also to children. Drivers are asked to observe the following rules :— On meeting traffic approaching from the opposite direction, Keep to the left. On overtaking traffic proceeding in the same direction, pass on the right. The foregoing rules do not apply to meeting or passing a man in charge of a led horse, when keep, if possible, to the side nearest the man. Nor do they necessarily apply to overtaking tramcars by motor-cars, which may be overtaken by them on either side of the road, having rega,rd to the safety of the proceeding and all the circumstances of the case. In the case of double lines of tram rails, the near side Ishould be preferred. On entering or crossing a main road from a side road, do so slowly, and use great care, and always give priority to main road traffic. "

Keep as near as possible to the correct side of the road, particularly when driving a slow-going vehicle. Keep your proper ,side in rounding corners. • . .. - , .[. ;•■ . ,

* Never, turn to the right, or left,., or cross the road, without holding out your arm to warn vehicles coming behind you. Never turn to the right without being assured there is no vehicle overtaking to pass you.

Always- look" round before starting from the kerb or leaving your direct course.'

Overtake a slower vehicle only after proper warning, and then without undue delay. Refrain from overtaking at corners, bends, or cross roads. - Passing pedestrians, horses, cyclists, arid other vehicles give the maximum space possible.

Always give way to faster vehicles. •Show, courtesy and consideration al ways.

HINTS TO PEDESTRIANS.

. Foot passengers, in common practice, reverse the rule of the road applicable to. vehicles, whether they keep to or on the main.road—that is, on the footpath right. It will consequently be seen that on the roadway where there is no footpath they face approaching traffic. Do not step off a pavement to cross a road until you have definitely decided your manner of crossing, and then cross at or.cc.

, Do not; hesitate after partly crossing andY fern back. Drivers coming either w»y may have-' seen you, and ta upset tHeir calculation by hesitation or alteration ; of your apparently' premedi?: tated course may. cause Occident, j''-'; ':-■ Look.tbithe. right'ibeforel;yau..cross. -.', Cross* -all -streets, 'in' "tße.'?direction opposed to the traffic, not with it. Vehicular, traffic may be expected to come from your right. The safest course is. to cross diagonally (bearing right) to the centre of the road, where the order of the traffic reverses, and then turn to the left. In this way you face the approaching traffic on both sides o* the road. ' Never step off the pavement so as to move to the left.; ;.-:,.-H ' ;

Always Temember that if there is any stopping or hesitation in crossing, the safest part of the street is the centre. Use island rests, if any, or crofcs where there is a constable on point duty. ;.

Do not leave the kerb in front of a slow moving vehicle unless you are sat lsfied no fast-moving vehicle is overtaking. A slow vehicle is usually nearer the kerb, than a faster one will be. Do. not cross where a side street enters without having regard to the traffic both in the side street and the main street: : •■'

Wnen crossing the street do not obscure your; view with an umbrella. Foot passengers should, not step off the pavement suddenly and unless to cross; a. swift or silent cycle, motor-car, behind Vehicle lnight be coming "P After'dark keep to the right side when there is no footpath. Always get out of the way at the first signal from any overtaking or approaching : veh lC le, and in walking on a road without pavement be careful "always to walk'against the traffic. , :, In alighting from tramcars or 'buses do not do ;so when tßey are moving, as overtaking, drivers do not expect such a thing to be done. Never gp immediately round the back i- L jehlcle fr °m which you have v£^ d-V-, FrOm the belter of the roSwS% " °f the Street °r

: DON'TS *OR.CHILDREN. : tW^T* *row- cap 6, or any--3^ cycles, or other

Do not hang on to moving' Vehicles. tWr thY b? d is free fro™ tame' . tramYars n T ■ ixoai"^ "motor-ears,.

DANGEROUS DOOR, HANDLES. In^h sudden left-hand bend, the car ~^d S n T\°^ n fiies the off-side door prevent, The h&f ty grab of his moth« The o^^r-f 1/ Chassis manufacturer £ auestZ °fa, bTuWf? answer, to the question depends mainly' O n the price of 3it? r 8 s^ol* sufficiently .„„. cerfcal. n amount of flexing is n O fc at once as "badly made" for the sak.

BY "AUTOS"

of saving a, few pence on the door catches. A long' bolt will hold even when the clearance is increased to the utmost possible extent.,

The only real solution, of course, lies in. making more rigid frames; but assuming this to have been done, there is still a source of potential danger. A very great number of door fasteners are so mounted that the slightest" accidental pressure will send them flying open. Often they consist of a horizontal lever projecting rearwards, and coming-, in the case of a two seater, just under the passenger's elbow; the slightest jolt, and the door is unwittingly opened—possibly just as_ the car.is. being driven through a particularly, narrow spacer—andi runs the: risk of • .being 1-. ■ hit by any obstacle, if, indeed, :it does not allow a parcel or s any object on the floor of the car to roll out. A similar type of latch has a vertical lever, and. is often quite as liable to be opened accidentally. - •.--.- The railway-carriage pattern of lock is good, although a little less convenient in use than the "snap-to" variety, because it involves no "slamming" and the consequent jarr to the bodywork. It has, in addition, a, longer bolt, and ifi likely to hold even if the body sides ilex considerably. . : Tho hook-type, in which a claw on the door engages with a stud^or ring on the body, is not to be recommended, because in the event of the body being slightly strained it may he quite impossible to secure it.

It is not difficult to arrange the door handle to be gulled upwards to open. There is then very iittle risk of it being accidentally unlatched, and it in no more difficult to operate than the type which is pushed downwards.

Either through .corrosion or rough handling, the terminals of an accumulator sometimes' break off. The best way to effect a repair. is to drill and tap a hole in what.is. left of the lead pillar (3-16 in is usually; a suitable size), then fit a brass screw, which should be soldered where it enters the lead pillar, using resin, which will cause the lead to flow round; the groove quite easily. Soldering spirits and special flux are,not satisfactory, and" tend to cause corrosion.

Thecause of a plug missfiring may prove to be a loose electrode if this is of the type consisting:of a small bent piece of nickel wire fitted tightly into, a hole drilled in the shell o f the plug! If this wire should become loose, the width of the spark gap will vary, and sometimes the spark will fail to jump. To remedy this defect the .plug should be gripped upside down in a vice, and the metal round the electrode, and- as close to itas possible, should.be given a sharp tap or'two with a fine-pointed centre-punch,: so as to compress the metal and thereby,^ secure the electrode firmly.

Where there is sufficient space in the yard or garden, ramps, up which a car may be run so as to nenn.it of-the driver working underneath provide,an excellent substitute for an inspection pit. ' These ramps are in the form of walls 4ft. or sft high, the distance apart corresponding to tiie track of the car. The top of each wall should be about 18in wide, with a beading fixed to the sides to prevent any accidental over-running. One end of the wall should slope gradually so as to permit of the car being backed on to the raised platform ; providing the walls are not too high, they could be used as work benches or, if the walls were erected outside, the sides would lend themselves to the making of a rock garden.;';' The ra-mp can slope at.each end' 1 if desired " ; .;•> \ ' :: ; -': ■.'■■

The presence, of water ,in the petrol tank is of ten-,.the cause of considerable trouble, 'as globules of thW'liquid find their way into every part of the fuel supply system, eventually reaching the carburettor, and causing erratic running. Where conditions allow it, an excellent scheme is to fit a Ford sediment bulb in the bottom of the tank on one side, having previously soldered up the feed outlet. When filling up with fuel the car should be so placed that the side of the tank fitted with the sediment bulb stands lower than the other. As water is heavier than petrol the bottom tap of the bulb can be opened after a few moments and a little of the liquid released, watching for the presence of water, which shows itself in little globules.

Is any, motorist sufficiently lacking in imagination to deny that motor-cars are imbued, with temperament anl liable on occasion to fits of bad humour?

To the prosaic, matter-of-fact man of common-sense, indeed, a motor-car is nothing but a number of pieces of steel, wood, rubber, leather, and other materials rather cleverly stuck together by means of bolts and : screws. True enough; but, like most man-made contrivances, ■ once' it has "found itself" it ceases to be a mere agglomeration and becomes a unit, instinct—as all good motorists believe—with character. As everyone knows, there are willing cars, and sulky cars, flighty cars, and stolid cars—cars with every imaginable kind of temperament. But every ■ good car has one unfailing characteristic; it will never give of its best except in partnership with the one man or woman. Even to its own particular partner the best of cars will sometimes give an exhibition of temper. Grown stale, like an overstrained human, it will sandwich a day of contrariness when nothing goes right, between days or perhaps weeks of smooth; and perfect running. If it can get iiold.of a stranger on whom to work oft its irritability, so nVuch th e better.