MOTORING NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 11 February 1933, Page 4

MOTORING NOTES

SAFETY FIRST ? | CAKE OF THE CAR (By Gerald Ely, London, for “The Mail”) Risking the accusation of being obvious, I propose, this week, to mention some of those points which call for the motorists constant attention. Taking first the art of driving safely, I : ought, if I am to do my duty properly, to suggest that all drivers should , re-read the highway code. This little pamphlet, it may be remembered, is the official offspring of the Road Traffic Act, but it has itself no legal sanctions. It is supposed to be a guide to conduct on the road, and it holds many estimable precepts. But to many people the very hint of some official connection is sufficient to make them ignore a publication, so I will content myself with summarising the whole highway code in one sentence, namely: Do unto others as you would have them'do unto you. Consideration for other road users covers everything the highway code has to say, and I will only add that such consideration can be extended without the slightest deprivation of one’s own enjoyment. Not only that, but it ensures one’s own safety. If every driver took it for granted that there was another car round the blind bend or approaching the cross-roads or in the side turning, and that consideration for the driver of the other (unseen) car made it desirable to slow down and even stop, road casualties would be reduced to a minimum. EXPENSIVE SECONDS Another point to remember is never to try to gain a few seconds under dangerous road conditions by cutting in, for what shall it profit a man to gain a few seconds if he lose the next few weeks in hospital? The standard of driving is generally improving, but too many instances are still to be observed on the roads of- drivers cutting in to the danger of themselves and other road users. This is a bad example of lack -of consideration for other road users, but there are more subtle aspects of the matter. For instance, the driver who goes out in a car, knowing it to be an unsatisfactory mechanical condition, is not only lacking in consideration to others, but to himself. It does not matter a jot to anyone but himself, of course, if only three out of his four plugs arc firing, or if the whole chassis squeaks like a bad pair of new shoes, but it matters a great deal to all other road users jf a car’s brakes are inefficient; if the' tyres are too worn, or if the steering is not what it should be. On two occasions during the past few years I have been the victim of accidents caused by another car’s defective brakes, so J speak with special feeling on this matter. Many other less vital matters should be borne in mind. One is that care should always be taken to see that the petrol tank holds enough fuel for the projected run. Most of us have petrol gauges on our cars, and most of us are from time to time let down by them, for, in the majority of cases, they go wrong sooner or. latci. The petrol gauge blandly registers two remaining gallons but the petrol tank, on examination, is found to be empty when the car unaccountably stops — usuallv some distance from a pump. I have been stranded so often on the road, even in expensive cars, that I now measure the contents of my tank

at the beginning of the .run and at intervals during the run. Sometimes I am defeated by the shape of the tank funnel, which takes a sudden bend for no particular reason, and on such occasions my mental observations about the'designer are the reverse of complimentary. 1 v ‘ .: PROTESTING CHASSIS Regular greasing, arid- oiling of the chassis could also be attended to, but such a reminder is too obvious. In any event, the reminder will duly come from the chassis itself,,AYhc.n,it begins to squeak its' protest ' at : the lack of lubricant. ; But something ought to be said about more-regular attention to i the oil in the engine sump, gear-box and back axle. .< v> >; Lack of lubricant in those parts may mean disaster, so 1 it is as well to look at least to the level of the engine oil before every run. The gear-box and back axle do not eat up much oil, unless there is obvious leakage, so the chances are that the level remains satisfactory between periods of a thousand miles.. But one canot afford to take risks with-the engine which dissipates oil iu many wavs—some' more than others. After all, it does not take a minute to pull out the dip r stick and make certain that tlio sump has its full quota of oil By the, way, let it be oil of a reputable brand. I know that some anonyinous brands of oil can be obtained niuch more cheaply than the combine products, but it is, honestly, not worth taking a chance in this connection. Bad oil simply ruins an engine. VIRTUE OP, CLEANLINESS This brings me to another point. Keep your car clean, not only as far as the mechanism is concerned, but also as regards the bodywork. Some dosed cars have a combined smell of oil and dust that is repellant. The driver himself may not always notice it, but his passengers certainly do. Not only are some interiors malodorous, but they look dirty. The oily smell usually comes because of the bad habit of carrying a spare tin of lubricant which is stowed in a corner of the car in a half-leaky .condition. The dusty smell is due to the fact that the cushions are scarcely ever taken out and cleaned in the interstices,' while the carpets in front and rear are, at most, given a perfunctory rub. It does not seem to occur to careless owners that the carpets and rugs can be taken home and cleaned properly with the same vacuum cleaner used for the household carpets. The proper way to look at a car is as a home from home (on wheels) and, considered in this way, it is surely as important to keep it clean as it is to keep the home clean. Most cars nowadays are upholstered in leather, or leather cloth, and it takes little time to rub this upholstery over with some good furniture polish. This not only cleans the leather, but preserves it. , These precautions to ensure comfortable driving are worth while. I have motored now for many years, and durum those years I have owned an impressive number of different makes of ! cars. Sometimes they have involved me in expense which I could not very well afford, and which has necessitated ' sacrifices in other directions. But T have never bad one moment’s regret, for my car has given me pleasure which ’ no other hobby could possibly give me, and I daresay car ownership has more than paid me in the saving of doctors’ bills in my own case and m the case of those around me.