THE MOTOR WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 November 1924, Page 13

THE MOTOR WORLD

POLICEMAN’S “BAG” OF MOTORISTS.

P.C. Harman, of Reading, who has e brought 500 motoring oases before the b local justices, and secured 450 convic- t tions, retired recently after 26 years’ service. SOUTH AFRICA RELIABILITY g : TRIAL. o ’ At the Bloemfontein reliabiltiy trial J ihe course , was a long and arduous a one, running to the Glen and hack. ? The roads were far from good, being 1 rutted deep by recent rains and in ® some parte being merely unmade tracks ■» covered with loose stones and boulders. * 'But despite the gruelling nature of \ the course most of the machines enter- 1 ed put up a good performance, which shows how exceedingly reliable the j modern motor cycle really is. The ‘ course to the Glen winds through pic- ' turesque. scenery, long avenues of tall, slim trees/ backed by dense jungle, and then in direct contrast to this open plans which stretch for endless miles ahead with little or no vegetation upon them. Mercilessly hot are these' plans or veldts in the summer daytime, but wonderful at night when a cool land breeze blows across them and bright stars twinkle out in a purple, sky. The purple nights of Africa are something to be remembered for ever by these who have been lucky enough to see them. According to statistics, there are ) 31,500 motor cycles in Holland. l j A HARD LIFE. KNIGHTS OF THE THROTTLE. ADVICE TO "ASPIRANTS. Some good advice to the youth who thinks that he is the coming racing driver of the age is contained |in the following article, which was contributed to the San Francisco Chronicle by an old racing driver: Have you tever felt the urge to become a mighty knight of the throttle ? j To storm down long straightaways? To | skid into hanked curves at the wheel i of a gasoline greyhound? .No? That is j peculiar. For, were I to personally answer each letter to the pile I receive each day I would have to quit running an automobile school. Now really to surprise you. More, than half the enquiries I receive aye from boyie who have never seen a big automobile race. These young fellows have become entranced with the life of the stripped flivver pilots who operate at the county fairs. They immediately want to don a helmet, mask and other paraphernalia used mostly as props for movie racing heroes. FORGET IT! Bah! Forgot it, young fellows, forget it! This is the advice of an oldtimer, who knows the life of the speedway. Go and watch the gasoline knights perform, but don’t go near their garages. Always keep in mind the illusion you have of the joyous life they lead and you will have something to remember. :

' Automobile racing is the hardest way to make a living I know. Coal mining is mere child’s play beside it. You. know you’re a better speed demon than Ralph De Palma or Jimmy Murphy, "and you_ demonstrate , it to yourself eypry time you see an open stretch of road. Well, it makes it nice for few that does. The newspaper editors, for instance, are looking for page one material. The ambulance

driver cannot hold his job unlees some fqol provided him with emergency calls. Keep practising on the open, road long enough-and you’ll get your name in black, sticky type, and your picture, too, if you’re dead enough. EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS. You are still anxious to get into the game? Gosh! I’ve dropped you behind the wheel of a speeding race bus. Look oiit, now, : you’re skidding. That long slide ends, and then simultaneously you are conscious of a jar, of slamming into the iron railing on the banked curve, of surmounting it and plunging upward. For what seems endless seconds your car is in its might to 6mite you. There is a crack, a bang—terrible, deafening. And everything goes black. Forget about becoming an automobile race driver, young fellow, and for heaven’s sake quit practising on th* open road. ,

SAFER MOTORING

SUCCESS OF WHITE LINE ON CORNERS.

LONDON, Sept. 4. A broad white line which has been painted in the middle of the road round corners and bends in Worcestershire is stated to have the effect of keeping motorists on their proper side and discouraging passing and “cuttingin.”

The county surveyor, Mr C. F. Gettings, who studied the system in the United States, began the experiment two months ago, and the authorities have decided to continue jts use. The best material for painting the lines has not yet been decided; the alternative method of letting white concrete- into the road is ruled out, as it would tend to produce dangerous ruts.

A Ministry of Transport official stated yesterday that the chief difficulty in London would be the cost of keeping the lines white, in view of the heavy traffic.

WOMEN MOTORISTS,

MORE CAUTIOUS THAN MEN

Mr S. F. Edge, the former racing motorist, disagrees with the opinion of Dr. W. H. Whitehouae, coroner for the south-eastern district of London, that women car drivers are a bigger potential danger on the road than men.

■“My experience has proved to me,” Mr Edge states, “that, as a class, women motorists are more cautioua than men. They take far fewer risks and do not venture on the road till they can drive properly. I should say that there are more bad drivers among men than among women.” Mr Forbes the West London magistrate, gave it as hie experience that women drivers are not |at all dangerous. “Some of them,” he said, “drive extremely well, especially those who became experts during the war.” 1

NEW GERMAN CAR.

RUN ON CRUDE OIL

BERLIN, Sept. 7. The Wernigeroder Motor Works and the Borsdorf Metal Works have produced a 6-18 h.p. motor car which, it is claimed, can be run on crude oil at a cost of 3s per 100 miles. It is pro-

tected by 20 German and 40 foreign patents.—Exchange. Professor A. M. Low said last night that there is no reason why .practically every motor engine should not be adaptable to this fuel if drivers were prepared to sacrifice cleanliness of engine, ease of starting, and general comfort to cheapness. This fuel would make motoring very cheap. The disadvantages of the crude oilconsuming engine, he said, are: Weight, inconvenience, bad starting, lack of control, dirtiness. The German engine, he thought, is a development of the Diesel or semiDiesel engine.

RULES OF SAFETY FIRST

No slogan has ever ceeii invented that has so wide an application as "Safety First.” It applies to everybody, everywhere, and ail the time. The National “Safety First” Association in America has recently given attention to the compilation of a concise and comprehensive set of safety hints ior all motor drivers. They cannot be lead too carefully or too often. (1) Always keep your eyes open and your wits alert. • (2) Always drive as you would wish others to drive.

(3) Always keep yourself and your vehicle in safe driving order. (4) Always anticipate/danger. (5) Learn, give and obey the recognised traffic signals. (6) Obey the law, in letter or spirit. (1) Always keep your eyes open and your wits alert. —(Attention.) The human element is to blame in the vast majority of accidents.

Undivided attention must be given ‘ to the task of driving a car. Cultivate road sense. More accidents are due to careless and thoughtlessnss than to ignorance.

Use common-sense to ensure safe driving. S (2) Always drive as you would wish others to drive. —(Courtesy.) “Safety First”—the most important rule of the road. Drive carefully, considerately, and courteously. It is Dangerous and Discourteous — To take cornel's on the wrong side. To cut in or to cut too fine. To assume that the road is clear. To overtake at corners, bends, crossroads, road junctions, just before street refuges or anywhere with- j out the certain knowledge of - a clear road. i To turn into or out of a road except ] dead slow. To drive so that you cannot pull up clear of any possible danger. To assume your warning signal is heard if no notice be taken of it. To descend hills too fast. To force your way through groups of persons boarding or alighting from trancars. To drive too close to, or too fast past, other road users. To leave a vehicle on a bend, or anywhere where it may be an obstruction to other traffic. To reverse unless you know that all is clear. Tt is Courteous and Considerate— To keep well to the left. ' To overtake only after making sure that the road is clear, and after giving warning. To listen for warning signals from I the rear, and to signal on overtaking traffic, if the road ahead is clear To use your horn with discretion. To exercise special care in passing '■ all animals. [ T) Always keep yourself and your - vehicle in safe driving order. —(Coni trol.) » fc Be completely master of your machine.

Don’t drive if you are not physically fit to do so. Frequently inspect your vehicle. Always keep breaks and steering in faultless condition. Keep all your lamps in good order. Never- leave a vehicle unattended unless it is fully secure. ' (4) Always anticipate danger.—(Anticipation.) Don’t imagine that people—especially children —or animals can always be trusted to do the sensible thing. Be prepared for anyone, else on the road doing the wrong thing. Beware of predestrians stepping suddenly off the footway. Don’t drive fast past schools or through populous places. Be specially careful when driving on tramlines and on greasy or cambered roads. Don’t apply breaks suddenly or violently except in cases of extreme emergency. Learn how to correct a skid. Beware of following other vehicles too closely—especially tram^. Beware of vehicles suddenly turning out of their line of traffic. Always remember that main-road traffic has NOT right-of-way over other traffic. (5) Learn, give, and obey the recognised traffic signals. Don’t slow down, stop, turn, or cross to the wrong side of the road without endeavouring to show vour attention to following traffic by giving the recognised signal. The mere giving of a signal does not entitle you to obstruct other traffic. Always look out for the signals of the driver of the vehicle in front of you. Alwavs look out' for, and promptly obey, police signals. Always pay attention to road warning signs. (6) Obey the law, in letter and spirit. Safety First.