MOTORDOM

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 November 1939, Page 9

MOTORDOM

NEWS OF THE ROAD

(By

“Gearbox”)

MOTOR CAR DESIGN.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

The chief executive of one of the largest American car manufacturers recently expressed his opinion aboiit the directions in which car designers should endeavour to effect improvements. , . He stated that for the time being designers could very well forget any ideas for improving good performance. The modern car already had a performance quite high enough, if not too high, for average roads and average drivers, and any further improvement was both unnecessary and undesirable. However, there existed a tremendous scope for improving economy and for making cars safer and more comfortable. The process, indeed, has already started. This year there has been a noteworthy improvement in fuel consumption, and in some cases th© higher mileage obtainable has been so great as to arouse expressions of disbelief. Only a fraction of the power latent in petrol is used for propelling the car, the remainder passing but through the exhaust pipe. Engineers know that the power is there, but the problem of converting it to useful work has so far proved insuperable. In some 1939 models which show improvement in this regard the main difference lies in the design, of the intake manifold.

One of the problems is to deliver an equal amount of mixture to all cylinders. With a simple type of manifold running along the side of the engine block there is a tendency for the mixture to take the. path of least resistance and overfeed the middle cylinders. By more complicated manifold shapes this problem has been overcome, and the result is a distinct improvement to both power output and consumption. The executive quoted above believes that car engines are still too heavy. The average car engine develops one horse-power for each five pounds of weight, whereas with aero engines one horse-power to each l&lb. of weight is common. The metals that achieve this aero engine design are very expensive—too expensive for a car which must be sold to the public at a modeiate price; nevertheless, careful design could probably effect an improvement. It’is possibly the attention which is being paid to safety that has been responsible for shelving projected rearengine designs. It is generally believed that in spite of the admitted theoretical advantages of rear-engined cars, the general public would view them with the uneasy feeling that the driver and his passengers would be sitting “much too close to the accident.’’ It is admitted that an engine hi the front, by taking the force of an impact, has saved many peoples lives. It will probably stay there. Developments directed at safety will probably take the form of even stronger but lighter steel bodies, probably more use being made of the combined chassis and body design, closer attention to suspension problems with the object of keeping the wheels in contact with the ground all the time, and improvements to braking systems.

VALUE OF DRIVING TEST.

FACTOR IN ROAD SAFETY.

In Britain it is only within th© past few years that drivers of private motor cars have had to pass a driving test before being issued with a driving license. Before that anyone could get a license and drive a car on a public highway. All that was necessary was sufficient confidence. When the driving test was introduced it was provided that those who already held licenses should not be required to pass the test. The result is that, so far, fewer than half of the 4,000,000 licensed drivers in Britain have been officially passed, and it is interesting to note, especially in view of the allegation frequently made that young reckless drivers are mainly responsible for road accidents, that Mr. A. G. Throssell, motoring correspondent of the London “Daily Telegraph,” thinks that most of the onj. driving now comes from people of his feneration who have never had to pass any sort of test, who were never taught to drive in any proper sense of the word, and who have never since tried to learn. He also claims that the geneial standard of driving and of road manners has undoubtedly improved much in the last three or four years, and that the rising generation is far ahead of its fathers and mothers in roadsense, and he adds that when all have been through the test the roads will be safer—and then it will be time to think about making the test stiffer.

REAR-VIEW MIRROR.

AN INTERESTING HISTORY

The introduction of the rear-view mirror, which is to-day compulsory equpiment for all motor vehicles, is linked up with an interesting incident and story. It appears that, America’s famous “Indianapolis 500 miles’ motor car race was inaugurated away back in 1911, a well-known speed driver Rav Harroun nominated for the event. When he produced his Marmon car in trial runs on the Indianapolis speedway, his fellow-competi-tors raised a fuss with the organising committee on the grounds that Harroun’s machine was fitted with a single-seated light body, while the rest of the entrants had their cars equipped with.a double seat, so that a mechanic could be carried. Finally, the race officials ruled out Harroun’s machine on the grounds that, when driving round the track at speed, he could not look back, consequently he would not know when he was being overtaken by a fellow-competitor, a safety factor which was provided by carrying a mechanic.

Harroun withdrew, but was back on the track in a few days, with a mirror mounted above the small windshield of his car. He convinced the officials that he had entirely met their requirements. Harroun not only won his point, but also the race, covering the 500 miles at an average speed of 74.59 m.p.h. It is claimed in U.S.A, that this was the first occasion on which a rearview mirror was used, and so successful did it prove that it was only a matter of time for it to come into universal use —a vogue that was greatly accelerated by the advent of the closed type of car body.

CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS.

A VALUABLE BOOKLET

The West Coast has an unenviable reputation for motor accidents. The statistics of insurance companies show that the accident rate on the West Coast is higher than in any other part of New Zealand. Ami this high rate is not due to the large number of visitors, who tour the West Coast during the holiday period. The statistics of the insurance companies concern only local drivers.

It is not quite certain whether the high accident rate is due to the rather difficult nature of many West Coast roads, or to bad and careless driving, but there is evidence to suggest that indifferent road conditions are not responsible for the majority of the accidents. In any case, since a number of West Coast roads are admittedly difficult, that is all the more reason for exercisig increased care. It is no use growling at the authorities and blaming them for not eliminating danger spots. There may be some culpability in this direction, but this does not do away with the fact that dangerous bits of the highway should be treated with great respect. Besides, as already stated, there is no proof that the high accident rate on the West Coast is due to road conditions. A bit of evidence that points the other way is that there are more accidents on the good road between Greymouth and Kumara than there are on the difficult road to Otira.

The question, of the causes leading up to accidents has been investigated and studied in many countries. One of the best and most recent publications on the subject is a booklet entitled “Lest We Forget,’’ issued by an American Life Insurance Company. It is stated that the booklet is issued in an earnest endeavour to arrest the steadily mounting figures of accidents and fatalities on the modern road. Perhaps the most arersting portion of it is a collection of 16 tables in which accidents are tabulated in an attempt to locate the causes leading up to them. A general conclusion is that it is speed that kills. “It’s a woman driver” sagely noils the wiseacre as he watches the car ahead transgressing half the rules of the road. But 90 per cent, of drivers involved in accidents —93 per cent, in the case of fatal accidents —are men. True, most drivers are men, and possibly you may advance the statement that most drivers of commercial vehicles and taxis, which are always on the road, come into this category. But 80 per cent, of the vehicles involved in accidents are private cars. Operating experience counts for safety? Maybe, but drivers who have been driving for a year or more are responsible for 95 per cent, of accidents and deaths. The majority of accidents are caused by experienced drivers who know just what to do with their hands and feet, but who do not always use their heads. “That’s a danegrous road,” is said of one which winds dizzily among the hills, and sharp bends with poor visibility have caused many a smash. Turning, backing, and parking are all movements which require care and precision if you wish to keep your fenders from being crumpled; but if you wish to be equally careful of the human body you will use equal care when going straight ahead, because over 76 per cent, of non-fatal accidents, over 84 per cent, of deaths are caused on a straight road. Visibility should be good for safe driving, yet over fourfifths of all accidents happen on a clear day. Only 4 per cent, happen in fog and snow. Similarly dry roads lead to three-quarters of the trouble. When roads are slippery and visibility is poor driving seems to be most dangerous, and drivers redouble then' alertness. But dry weather, a straight road, a clear day, the knowledge of a long driving experience, the superiority complex of the male are all conducive to speeding, and consequently the inference remains that it is speed that kills. Two other tables have an effect in bringing about this conclusion. The road location table shows that nearly 10 times as many'people are killed on rural highways as at rural intersections. More people are killed between city intersections than at them. Death strikes moi’e frequently on the open highway than at any other point, and it is on the open highway that high speeds are most prevalent. The other effective reason for the conclusion is that cars in good condition are responsible for 95 per cent, of accidents, and 92 per cent, of deaths. Defective brakes are the worst defect, causing, however, only 1.6 per cent, of accidents, 1.9 per cent, of deaths. The puncture or blow-out comes next on the list, but these smaller percentages are almost negligible, compared with the astounding total of deaths caused by cars which would be eligible for a. New Zealand “warrant of fitness.”

After an accident many drivers insist, some quite rightly, that the steering wheel locked or the accelerator jammed, or the brakes failed to act. Most accidents, it is claimed, can be traced to a failure in mental or temperamental equipment rather than in the mechanism under its control. For pedestrians the easiest way to court death is to cross the road between intersections, the next to walk sedately along a rural highway. A child playing in the street runs only half the risk of being killed that a man does who crosses at an intersection which is not controlled by lights or other signal; but children playing in the street, people stepping from behind a parked car, and those who cross an intersection against the signal or without a signal all stand about p.n equal chance of being killed. Stieets are most dangerous if you are over 65 or under four years of age. Exceeding the speed limit caused nearly t’.vo- ; fifths Of the deaths that could be attributed to the actions of drivers.

COAL GAS FOR CARS.

SUBSTITUTE FOR PETROL

In view of the question, which the Mayor of Greymouth (Mr. F. A. Kitchinghani) put to the Minister of Mines (Mr. Webb) the other day, with regard to the use of coal gas as a substitute for petrol for motor propulsion, the following from a London newspaper of September 22 is of particular interest: —

Coal gas, as an alternative to petrol, is likely to be used by drivers of motor

cars and vehicles of all types after the petrol rationing scheme comes into force. This will be a reversion to the practice beginning in 1916, when cars with balloous of coal gas secured to their roofs first made their appearance.

Apart from a mixing valve in connection with the carburettor, little alteration has to be made to the ordinary engine. Containers for the fuel are in the form of either canvas bags carried on the roof or metal cylinders in which the gas is charged under pressure.

Portable gas-producing plants for industrial and commercial vehicles are being produced by several firms. These gas producers arc designed for engines of from 10 h.p. upward. On the Conl.im'iit. where they were in the main developed, they used charcoal or wood as fuel. In England the chief fuel is anthracite.

The cost of a plant is from about £7O upward, with an additional charge for fitting and conversion of the existing engine. A considerable saving in fuel costs over petrol or even Diesel oil is claimed.

The Bradford municipal gas undertaking, it is reported, is to open eight filling stations to supply motorists with coal gas as an alternative to petrol.