MOTORING AND MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 23237, 10 April 1939, Page 17

MOTORING AND MOTORISTS

by "R a Alator"

LIGHTING-UP TIMES To-day 6.43 Tuesday ... ... ... ... ,6.41 Wednesday 6.39 Thursday 6.37 Friday ••• 6.36 Saturday ... 6.34 Sunday 6.32 YELLOW HEADLIGHTS C9MFULBMY IN FRANCE .From January 1 all new cars in France have had to be delivered with •yellow headlights and old cars had to nave their lights converted to meet the new requirements. If a yellow front glass is used in the headlight the colour'must be in•tegral. Yeilow.-varnish or" yellow discs do not satisfy the. law. Yellow, bulbs are, however,-now'available at almost any garage, however small and out-of-the-way.. ; . ; The rule, has met with a mixed reception. amongst French' taotorists, hut on the may be said that thereis a majority' in favour. -The opinion is expressed-;-thaf .yellow' lights , make a big difference when meeting other cars. ' • •■■■ •• - ■- Thousands of all over the world use headlights giving a coloured ‘light in the ■; belief ; .that they.. pos'esss advantages I 'over white , light of the same Power for driving at night or in fog. The French legislation has served to focus attention on this problem, investigation of which was undertaken by the British Medical Association. The association reported that, extravagant claims had been made for yellow Headlights, and . that no recommendations could be made in direction. REDUCES BRIGHTNESS. It is emphasised that, in deciding upon the relative merits of white light and coloured light, it is of great importance .to ,note that when coloured glass is put in front of a lamp.it not only colours the light, but also reduces its brightness. According to the ‘ Scientific American,’ false are often drawn through failure to separate the effects of change of colour from reduction of brightness. None of the claims made in favour of Using a coloured headlight beam, -yellow m particular, rather than a white beam of the same power, has been substantiated. The claim for a greater rahge of visibility in fog may be regarded as definitely disproved. As for the other jclaims of less glare and greater facility of vision,'the evidence / is inconclusive, but it is apparent from ’ the information., at present available' thabno considerable advantage can be secured by using coloured light. , V • - 'g"y— ; ’ '■ The. 1 suggestion -has been ' made in' England'that provision should ibei made in ; they-Europeatt '■ racing ‘calendar;-, so that cart equipped'with fuel-oil engines: could compete |h. a class se't apart for power-plants of. this type. It is contended 'that racing' influence > has had much to do wi£h the present-day dependability and efficiency of the petrol ■ engine, and that if the fuel-oil engine - werai,.*giv.en,: ; similar encouragement, . beneficial results probably would be forthcoming which would be helpful in . perfecting the compression-ignition' engine for private car use. • Fairly high speeds already have been attained in record drives 'with cars equipped with fuel-oil- engines. The fastest of thete was established on the Bonneville Salt Flats (Utah) by Captain George Eyston, he recording 159.1 ih.p.h. for the two-way flying start kilometre. With a heavy car fitted with a hotted-up A.E.C. bus engine. Eyston (holder of the world’s land speed record of 357.5 m.p.h.) has also covered 2,329 miles on the Montlhery track (Baris) in .24 hours, an average speed of 97 m,p.h. These performances were achieved' with a 9,000 c.c. 1 engine. The '= propounders of the suggestion that fuel-oil engine classes should be included'in the racing calendar believe

that, whilst there has been notable ■progress' in the application of the C-I engine to road vehicles; there yet remains mpch to be done towards’ perfecting moderate-sized high-speed engines of this type. - Already considerable development is seen in this direction, ( and- fuel-oil engines for use in the lighter range of commercial motor vehicles will probably come into considerable use in the not distant future. • The saying that the racing car of . to-day is the touring car of to-inor-row may yet be applied With equal truth to improving the breed of the fuel-oil engine by means of racing and record-breaking. MAKE LESS NOISE HOW MOTORISTS CAN HELP It is generally agreed by the medical profession that noise is a contribuing factor to the increase in neurasthenia and other “ nerve ” troubles in modern times. Noise is said to be a growing source of worry in New Zealand. The nuisance, of course, is worse in the_ cities than in the smaller towns, especially in the cities that have tramway systems. It is generally agreed that tram cars are our noisiest road users, and this is one argument that has been used against them in the Old Country, w-here many cities have replaced their trams with trolley buses or_ petrol-driven buses. Motorists, however, contribute considerably to the general volume of din. We all know, and probably most of us have frequently cured, the nerve racking uproar of the noisy motor cycle. Generally, the modern motor car is a 1 quiet-running machine, but many motor car horns emit far from musical sounds. At first sight it may seem to he bordering on exaggeration to include tho motor car horn in the list of chief contributing causes to the modern nuisance of noise, but, aucording to a well-known New Zealand nerve specialist, “ the bane of modern city life is not the blatant noises such ns steam whistles, but the cumulative effect of numerous noises, each comparatively small in itself.” This has been recognised in Bri- 1 tain, jvhere it is now an offence for a motorist to use the horn between 11 o.m. and 7 a.m. in a ” built-up ” area, which ipeans, in effect, in any city, town, orvillage. When this measure was proposed there was a great outcry, chiefly on the ground that it would make night driving more dangerous.., Actually, 'after .the law was introduced, night driving became safer, because motorists took more care, and 'there were some who went ’to the length Of proposing that horns 'should be prohibited entirely. There was ; the case •of ' one motorist who .'.claimed that he had been driving ever qsince motor-cars first came in, and 4^at-he^-h»4-never once, used the ’horn peCanse,' in' his opinion, ;it was pndiecesstry. His view was, that there would -be far fewer road Occidents if there , were no horns attached to cars, for then drivers would be forced to exercise far greater care. •;\Vhile few motorists may be prepared to subscribe to this view, it is nevertheless a fact that a fair proportion of driver make too much use of the horn. They drive as if they were warning all concerned to get out of their way and give them a clear passage. This is not only bad road manners, but it makes for recklessness, for drivers of this ort are apt to think that 1 they are entitled to speed over intersections or sweep, round corners, provided they give a loud warning of their approach. A good driver may be known by his prudent use of the warning device, not by his abuse 6f it. It is possible to drive safety in busy thoroughfares and not use the horn at all. Even in emergency cases, such as when one is faced by a careless pedestrian, the moderate, thoughtful use o f the honker _is more effective and safe - than making a loud noise. The warning device is for use in an emergency. Sometimes, even, it is wiser and safer, particularly where pedestrians are concerned, to slow down even to a stop without sounding the horn. Immoderate horn-sounding is . apt to cause confusion and danger with pedestrians, and with other drivers it certainly does not assist in encouraging the best feelings. ’ If al unotorists used the horn less, and probably all could no it less, the result would be a considerable contribution towards a diminution of this modern nuisance—noise- There are some who think that iin time people can get used to anything, including the din of street traffic. But this opinion is ■ not supported by the experience of the medical profession. Jt may be that many people can adapt themselves to noise, provided it is rhythmic, uniform, and predictable, but the strident tones ’of motor sirens, motor horns, and automatic drills, to mention three common noise producers, have a harmful effect on all members of the -community. On certain people, such as the sick, light sleepers, night workers, who must sleep by day, and those who are highl&strnug, noise, as the experience of medical men shows, has a particularly deleterious, effect. A step in the right direction would be to introduce the British law prohibiting the use of motor horns between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. British experience shows that this ban makes for safer driving and quieter nights. DISTILLED WATER WHY IT IS USED IN BATTERIES No doubt many motorists wonder why it is always recommended that distilled water ‘be used for replenishing the car or motor truck battery. The reason for tiiis advice is that, as a general rule, tap water contains chlorine and iron which, under certain conditions, cause the (formation of growths between the plates of the battery, It is. possible and often the case, where water supplied through the main is used that these growths become sufficiently large to cause the plates to buckle, and when contact is made between them in this way, current leakage takes place, thus making it impossible to maintain a battery in a fully charged condition. The question of tins possibility of using tap water after it has been passed ri gb a domestic water softener is sometimes raised. This

practice is not recommended by makers of batteries, for although these appliances do soften the water, they do not remove sufficient of the impurities to make it. suitable for topping-up purposes. Distilled water —obtainable cheaply from all garages or chemists —• should only be used for battery replenishment. OVERLOADING OF CARAVAN AXLES Overloading of caravan axles is a very real danger. Few people realise that it is not good practice to equip a trailer weighing a ton or more with an axle identical with a car weighing little more. This is because the car runs on four wheels and its weight is divided more or less evenly between two axles. Overloaded axles may give satisfactory service for some time out sooner or later failure may lead to serious consequences. Other parts of the axle assembly which frequently are overloaded are the bearings, hubs and wheels, and the tyres. Weakness in these parts is more likely to betray itself by recurring minor troubles than is the case with the axle. HURRY CAUSES ACCIDENTS "According to traffic authorities, foolish . and unnecessary hurrying is responsible for two-thirds of all motor accidents. When highways and streets are dry, the : risks of driving too fast for conditions are hazardous enough, but those hazards are practically doubled on wet, slippery streets. What was safe speed yesterday on dry roads is often dangerous speed to-day on wet roads; especially if one is foolish enough to drive on smooth tyres. Sudden and unexpected happenings, ' such as are created by reckless or inexperienced drivers, a child in the street or a.careless pedestrian, present double the hazard they would on a dry road, because the ability to stop suddenly on slippery streets is reduced by nearly 60 per cent. One of the most foolish things to do is to attempt to hurry on slippery streets. To do so may save a few seconds, maybe a minute or so. Certainly the time saved is not worth risking one’s life or limbs, or someone else’s. Appreciation of the fact that pedestrian carelessness is to-day responsible for a high percentage of accidents in which automobiles are involved—they range as high as 75 per cent, in some of the world’s big cities—should bring home to the drivers of automobiles the wisdom of never driving too fast for conditions, be the highways wet or dry* GASKET BLOWING A rare trouble, but one that is dangerous to the well-being of the engine, is the continual blowing out of the cylinder head , gasket at one point. /This allows • the cooling water to escape, often info the. cylinders, and is usually caused by some slight warping of the head or cylinder block. To avoid the expense and trouble of having the faulty part machined true again, a cure can often be effected by using two gaskets, one on top of the other. This will probably lower the compression a little, but not so much as to seriously impair performance, GLARING HEADLIGHTS QUESTION OF HUMAN EYESIGHT The reason why-glaring headlamps are so frequently blamed for causing traffic accidents was disclosed by an analysis made at the recent New York Motor Show. Tests of more than 3,000 people indicated that, for men, the ability to see while facing a glaring light reaches its maximum between the ages of 20 and 29. Males under 20 years and over 30 made lower scores. The lowest score was made by men over 60, the average for the age group 60 to 69 being five units, as compared with an average of 19 units for the 20-29 years group. For males 15 years of age, the average score was 17J. A further test of 2,859 people by the traffic department of the American Automobile Association substantiated the New York figures. The average obtained revealed that women under 24 years of age are slightly superior to men in their ability to resist glare. It was found that there is a considerable variation among individuals in any particular age group. For instance, of the 488 men tested in the 25-29 years group, one-sixth made a score as high as 23. The variations with age and individuals indicate the need for a better understandirig of the ability of people to see in the face of glaring lights and the means of compensating where deficiehces exist. _ TALKING TD THE DRIVER RESPONSIBILITY OF PASSENGERS •* It _ moie passengers in motor vehicles realised the responsibility of the drivers there would be less talking to the drivers, particularly in thoroughfares where there is busy traffic,” says the latest road safety message of the Automobile . Association (Canterbury). “At an inquest in Australia it was shown that two passengers were talking to the driver when the car skidded, and the driver was killed. The coroner said that it was a wrong thing for people to talk to the driver of a car. Accidents Were caused in that manner. The driver needed the whole of his attention focussed on the roadway. ‘‘All drivers and those who ride in motor vehicles as passengers should take notice of such advice. “It is absolutely essential that a driver should concentrate on the serious business of watching with alert eye the roadway ahead, anticipating danger, and ready for any emergency. If passengers talk to him, and he engages in talk or argument with them, he risks developing a condition of inattention. He may, just for the fraction of a second, be caught off his guard, but it may be sufficient to cause n mart - on a hitherto clean driving slate. Nut only should passengers re-

train from talking to the driver, but they' should also use discretion' in talking among ‘ themselves leSt their talking should tend to district the driver’s attention 'at Some critical /moment in traffic. Passengers should learn to appreciate the difficulties of driving, and try to assist’the driver in the manner ■ indicated; ■ It is ah easy matter to be talked into an accident; it is not so easy 5 to talk one’s way out of an accident. ‘ • • “ If you are a safe driver see that your passengers do nothing to distract your attention from your ■ full-time job. “If you are a safe passenger play the’part by' assisting the driver as suggested,.”, ■ MOTORCYCLING FIXTURES April 17.—Monthly meeting. Aim! 22.—Scramble. May 6.—Acceleration test. May 15.—-Monthly meeting. May 20.—Sporting; trial. June s.—King’s Birthday trial. TOLD AT THE WHEEL A correspondent says her husband proposed to her as he was driving her through town in his car. Some motorists do lose their heads in city traffic.