MOTORING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15249, 12 March 1913, Page 10

MOTORING.

No™ AND COMMENTS. ' The question of placing the steering wheel on the left side of the car ii being debated one© more. It is .said thai in 36 per met. 6t the cars made in America the wheel is 00 placed, but the custom has. not caught on elsewhere, and the consensus of opinion is . certainly against it in those countries where the rule of the road is to keep to the left. The system would oertriniy "facilitate the fitting of the control levers between the driver and passenger and thue give free access for the front seat fromboth aides. This, of course, could also be carried out with the driver sitting .on the right side, but-that means that the change speed gear and brake levers would have to be operated by the left hand. As regards the brake, no difficulty could occur, but very few men can change gear with aa much certainty with the left band as with the right, though possibly in process of time they would learn to do so. Personally, the writer does not think there is much between the two systems. When overtaking a vehicle, steering from the left-hand side is more convenient, enabling the driver to calculate more closely the necessary margin for safety. Also, it gives one a bettor chance, after dark of following the near side of the kerb closely and of avoiding pedestrians and cyclists who are walking at the loft side of the road. The right-hand position, however, » more suitable when passing approaching vehicles. In this case, however, there is, as a rule, plenty of margin, and the same necessity for passing at close quarters does not exist as wben overtaking a vehicle. •• ; . _ Particulars are to hand from Los Angeles, California, of a wonderful motor-cycle performance by L. Humiston. who succeeded in cramming 88 miles 350 yds into one hour. The previous best -Was J. de Hosier's 82! miles 135 yds. Humiston covered the hundred miles in 68m 1 4-ss. establishing all new world's records from. 13 miles upwards.