REVERSING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 19 November 1927, Page 12

REVERSING.

LEARNERS’ DIFFICULTIES. When louring to drive, many earowners seem to find difficulty in revel sing—that is, steering the car easily when it is running backwards. There is really no problem about reversing but it requires practice before it can be done with ease and certainty. The trouble when reversing is not that the" steered wheels are at the wrong end of the ear, so bo speak, so much as that, they do not tend to follow a straight course, but rather to lock right over in one direction or the other. This is due to the “castor action’’ created by the inclination of the “stubs’’ having a directly opposite effect when reversing to that obtaining when the ear is going forward. It is illegal to reverse further than a “reasonable distance” on a public road, but there may come a time when the driver has no alternative to reversing. Those who have any appreciable difficulty in keeping a car straight when reversing should find a quiet, straight, wide road, and with the hand throttle set to give a reverse speed of six or seven miles an hour, endeavour t-» steer as straight a course as possible. Half-an-hour’s practice will be suffi oient for the first, trial.

The small amount of reversing that, is necessary when turning a ear in a read presents no steering, difficulties, tut requires judgment and quick use of the clutch and the brake. Gentle operation of the clutch is one of the most desirable features. The slower the beginner practises his reversing manoeuvres the better driver generally will he become. The novice is apt to rush reversing movements. To turn a car in a eonfined space requires a full lock of the front, wheels —thaY is, the front, wheels must be turned as far as possible in one direction. Then, when the car has been driven as far as possible forward, and the wheels are close to the gutter or wall, they have to be turned to full lock in the other direction. The wheels should not be “straightened up” while the car is stationary.

It is advisable to “straighten” just before stopping—with a quick movement of the wheel. As soon as the ear starts to move backwards complete the reversal of the steering with an equally quick movement. Turning may entail reversing several times before the manoeuvre is really completed if the road is very narrow. It is, therefore, always well to look out for a crossroad or gateway which will give more re-cm for the manoeuvre.