Motoring Notes.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4814, 24 July 1939, Page 3

Motoring Notes.

DRIVING IN FOG. ®

PROBLEMS AT NIGHT. USE OF COLOURED LIGHT. In the Traffic Court recently a car owner was charged with having driven at night in fog with his headlights switched off. His defence was that in fog light beams are reflected into the drivers eyes, and because of that it was safer and easier to driye in such conditions without lights. Most owners will agree with the car owner’s contention, but the regulations specifically provide for the use of lights at night, and it is very doubtful whether driving without lights is safe from the point of view of other road users. The case, however, directs attention to one of the biggest problems of motoring. Some experienced drivers say that if the headlights are dipped in fog, the reflection of the lights is reduced considerably. Others advocate the adoption of the course, where possible, of having a passenger in the left-hand seat lean out of the car and direct the driver. If the fog is very thick, however, the only safe thing to do is to stop and wait for it to lift.

Use of Amber Light.

The case also provoked some adverse comment from drivers about the regulation recently imposed prohibiting 1 the use of a. special fog light, with an amber lens, as it is generally believed that an amber or orange light will cut through fog. This prohibition, however, was not made without careful inquiry by the Road Safety Council. The value of coloured lights, as compared with white lights, for the penetration of fog, is receiving much attention abroad, and the matter was investigated by the National Physical Laboratory in England, which, after a long inquiry, reported unfavourably on the amber light. Because of this report, and the danger of motorists mistaking an amber light for a warning stop light on the rear of a car, the prohibition was made.

On the other hand, the French authorities apparently favour the use of the amber light, and in France, it is believed, amber fog lights are compulsory.

Daylight Driving.

When driving- in fog during daylight, the problem is not quite so great, because motorists are not compelled to use their lights. On the main highways out of the city the orange light stands out, and remains in view long after the road surface on each side of it has been obliterated by fog. It would seem if orange paint will stand out in fog an orange or amber light would be even better, but on the report of the National Physical Laboratory this apparently is not so.

The position is that there is no really satisfactory solution to this extremely difficult, not to say dangerous, problem of driving in fog. The only thing one can possibly do is to exercise the very greatest care.

NECESSITY OF MOTOR ' VEHICLES. WHAT WORLD CENSUS SHOWS. That the motor-vehicle has become a necessity and is regarded throughout most of the civilised world as a vehicle essential to the daily needs of the people, is strikingly illustrated by the fact that the motorists of the world are now driving six motor vehicles for each one that was in use in 1922. The latest world motor census shows that registrations have now reached the amazing total of 49,942,694 cars and commercial motor vehicles, as compared with 12,546.584 in 1922. In addition, there are some 32 million motor cycles in service. All countries other than U.S.A. now operate 13,731,043 cars and commercial vehicles.

WOOD BLOCK SAVES FUEL. Jerky action of the accelerator pedal causes considerable waste of fuel, especially with carburetters of the type incorporating an acceleration pump in their design. For this reason the pedal should operate smoothly with correct spring tension. With the organ-pedal type of pedal, a block of wood attached to the floor at the right-hand side will form a

footrest which will aid in maintaining ing a steady opening. The height from the floor to the rest should correspond with the depression necessary to give your favourite cruising speed. Slight variations in speed are obtained by rocking the foot sideways; larger variations by shifting- the foot to the left sufficiently to allow free operation of the pedal. Small types of pedal, designed to slide under the sole of the shoe are considerably improved in smoothness of action by fitting to them a roller, which also saves wear on the shoes.

MODEST LITTLE SAFETY-PIN.

A NECESSITY TO SAFETY. One of the least thought-of thngs in the makeup of a motor vehicle is the split-pin, a small piece of wire that is daily responsible for the safety of those who travel in motor cars. If splitpins cost a few shillings each motorists would pay more attention and give more credit to the safety insurance provided by these small but important parts of a motor vehicle. The remark is occasionally heard: “It’s only a split-pin,” the inference being that a split-pin is just as useless as a fur coat to a Hottentot.

Maybe it is only a split-pin but many thousand times a day it is all that guards motorists from serious accidents. It is because they keep nuts, etc., in their place and pi-event mishaps that would certainly ensue, that the modest little split-pin is one of the most vital parts of a motorcar, and one that deserves every respect.