SAFETY FIRST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19838, 7 January 1928, Page 10 (Supplement)

SAFETY FIRST.

RULES FOR THE DRIVER. / i • .• " Beware of the old ones" was Mr. G. Bernard Shaw's laconic advice to novice motorists. The caution might well apply to the hundreds of new drivers who will venture far afiekl for the first time on the rural roads of the Auckland Province. The inexperienced driver is rfither sus ceptible to the exhilaration of the country and he relaxes the vigilance which he has exercised in the city. The Auckland Automobile Association urges drivers to treat strange roads with respect, to approach every blind corner prepared to meet an utterly reckless driver, and to take no chances when children are playing within easy reach of the highway. During the holidays the school warning signs erected by the Automobile Association may bo ignored, but when travelling in rural areas the city motorist should remember that the highway is both traffic road and footpath. When a really severe hill is encountered which obviously requires caution in its descent, it is a wise plan to engage the second or third speed before commencing the descent, so as to obtain considerable retarding effect from the engine. To prevent the trouble of oil being sucked past the pistons when the engine is turning rapidly with a throttle nearly closed, an extra-air valve is a most useful fitting, because this can be left wide open so that cool air is drawn into the cylinders during the descent. Not only will this prevent over oiling, but, in addition, the air will cool the cylinders and valves most efficiently. The use of the brakes really calls for far more skill and care than is usually expended in this direction. Every car | is fitted with two independent controls, and yet there are very many drivers who use the pedal almost exclusively and regard the hand lever simply as a device to hold the car when stationary. This is a groat mistake, because it leads to undue wear on one set of linings as compared with the other set. Furthermore,a the brake which is being used becomes hotter and hotter, whereas by ringing the changes it is possible _to give each set of shoes a period during which they can cool down. Alternatively, the work can be divided between the two brakes by pulling on the hand lever to a certain extent and leaving it there, then applying the small additional retarding effect required by means of the pedal. This also tends to. lessen driving fatigue, because the ratchet on the hand lever keeps this brake in position and only a light consistent pressure is required on the pedal. Many drivers seem unable to realise that when descending a hill the. distance in which the car can be pulled up from a certain speed is considerably increased, quite apart from c.onsiderations of road surface. This increase of stopping distance is not, of course* so great when front-wheel brakes are fitted, but is, nevertheless, a point to reckon with. _ . The following figures for stopping distances are - based on a car fitted with rear-wheel brakes only, which, on the level, can be pulled up in 40 yards from a speed of 20 m.p.h. Supposing that the surface is equally good in each case, then when this car is descending a gradient of 1 in 10 at 20 m.p.h. the stopping distance increases to 60 yards, while if the driver were foolish enough to tackle a slope of 1 in 5 at the same speed, he would find that about 100 yards were required to come to a stop. Before attempting to coast down hills the driver should be absolutely certain of being able to get back into gear if he desires to do so. 1 his process is more difficult on some cars than on others, so that a certain amount of practice is necessary. The principle consists in bringing the engine up to the speed at which it would be running if the gear were encaged, then disengaging the clutch, bringing the gears into mesh, and letting in the clutch gently. To get the gears in quietly is only a matter of judging the relative speeds of the car and the engme. If the speed of the car is not too great, it is, of course, possible to engage a lower gear in this way, but, generally speaking, this cannot be done _on most cars if the speed exceeds about 50 m.p.h. _ One should learn to use the horn with discretion. There are cases in which a sudden blast from a warning device may do more harm than good, and may startle the unwary pedestrian into running back in front of the car, where he or she would normally have passed safely on to the pavement. Warning should, however, be given when one is about to overtake another vehicle and on approaching crossroads, but in the latter case the driver should not forget to listen for the possible sound of another horn from a car approaching at right angles to his path. Good manners are called for in overtaking or being overtaken as in anything else. There is a certain type of driver who, for some occult reason, will never allow himself to be passed. lie may be driving along at a certain speed with no wish to go any faster, yet so soon as he hears tho horn of an overtaking vehicle or sees another motorist about to pass him he accelerates, compelling the other driver either to race side by side with him on the road or to drop behind' him once more. If, by superior acceleration, the second motorist succeeds at length in passing him, in almost every case the man or woman will drop back to his or her previous regular speed. If you are being overtaken, therefore, draw well in to your left &nd wave the other vehicle past. Make driving for other road users as easy as you would like them to make it for you. Therefore, do not obstruct either the man who is coming toward you or the driver of the faster vehicle who is about to overtake you. When meeting or being overtaken, therefore, draw well in to your left, while when you are overtaking another vehicle give it sufficient clearance not to force it into the gutter, and avoid cutting back to your left sharply after having passed. The Auckland Automobile Association considers that carelessness in signalling is the first cause of many serious collisions.