THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22285, 11 June 1934, Page 4

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By ACCELERATOR.

O.M.C. LIGHT CAR SECTION FIXTURES. June 16.—Despatch Run. , October 20. 21, 22.—Labour Day Trial. A TIMELY NOTE. The Southland Motor Association’s report states that the Milford Sound road, via the Egliuton Valley, has again been a popular rendezvous for motorists during the past summer. " The road is now being constructed over the Divide to the Hollyford Valley. The main concern in the preservation of the magnificent scenery in the locality of this road is the possibility of a bush fire taking place. The association, therefore, again takes the opportunity of warning members of the danger of lighting fires too near to the native bush, for it would indeed be a catastrophe if a bush fire occurred to mat the beautiful scenery,”

PETROL PRICES. There is probably a good deal of truth in the contention of the Prime Minister, made when replying to representatives of the Petrol Resellers’ Association on the question of Government fixation of prices (says the Dominion), that there are too many petrol-filling stations, or, to put it another way, not enough business for nil of them to make profits. Mr Forbes indicated that this aspect of the reselling trade would have to be investigated before the Government could consider fixing retail prices. A trade that is beipg conducted on an uneconomic basis can have no claim on the Government, and if it , can be shown that such is the case with the petrol reselling trade, then obviously its first duty is to put its house in order. Public opinion would not countenance the bolstering up of a business suffering from removable defects. RULE OF THE ROAD. “ I wonder how many motorists know the origin of our rule to ‘ keep to the left,’” writes a correspondent in the Auckland Star. The custom was probably established by the early coachmen in England, who, sitting on the right side of the driving seat, could easily watch the off-side wheels and thus prevent any collision by keeping to the left of the road. Many stage coaches in European countries were driven by postillions, who sat astride the left horse. Hence, for safety, they kept to the right. English settlers in America conformed to the rule prevailing there. In that country, as it was customary for ox drivers to walk on the left of their teams (the right arm being more free, thus, to use the whip), the teams kept to the right of the road. And traffic of all kinds has followed in their wake ever since.’’ RESERVE POWER. When we speak of a car being capable of travelling at 80, 90. and even 100 miles an hour, we give to the experienced motorist more than the mere fact of its maximum speed. Few cars are driven for long periods at such high speeds. Many never exceed 30 or 60 miles an hour. What, then, is the value of such high maximums? A car that is driven to its full capacity will wear much more rapidly than one that has always 40 or 50 per cent, of its power in reserve. The strain is greater and the life of the engine naturally shorter.

In a car capable of 80 miles an hour it is possible to cover a given distance faster than a 60 miles an hour car, even if both travel at the same maximum rate. The time is gained in pick-up and accelertaion. *

A fast car will reach the top speed required in half the time taken to pass through the gears of a sluggish machine. Moreover, it will probably maintain that rate of travel, up hills, while the slower car will drop back —probably in second gear.

It does not, therefore, necessarily follow that the owner of a ,-car with a highspeed capacity must drive fast to get full value for his money. He gains as much as he needs at stoppings and on hills. A BIG SHOW. - The eighth International Motor Show was opened at the Exhibition Building in Melbourne by the Governor of Victoria (Lord Huntingfield);. A glittering display of the latest models of cars and trucks covered six acres (says the Australasian), and was valued at approximately £1,000,000. The show contained products of England, Canada, the United States, France, Germany, and Japan, and is the largest since the boom years of 1927-28. Lord Huntingfield emphasised the value of the motor industry to Australia, and said it was estimated that in the next year manufacturers of motor-car bodies in Australia would receive orders valued at £3,000,000. This would mean a great deal in the relief of unemployment. Changes in design, such as the construction of a girder-type chassis with heavy channel steel members passing over as well as beneath the body, advanced streamlining, and a gearless transmission system, are forerunners of more radical changes which may be expected in the next few years. Prices ranged from about £2OO for a complete light car to more than £3OOO, which was the price of a Rolls-Royce 40/50 chassis exhibited. Body styles also varied to a marked degree. There were trim., brightly lacquered baby cars, huge, dignified saloons, family cars with economical engines, and examples of streamlining ranging from the flamboyant to. the beautiful. THE LUCK OF THE GAME, y In a recent statement the president of the Automobile Club of New York said that nine out of 10 motor cars involved in accidents are in good mechanical condition before suffering the fractures and contusions into which their operators drive them. This, he says, is established by extensive accident analysis. A writer in the New York Times comments: It scarcely takes an analysis of accident statistics to convince anyone of the truth of this conclusion. All one has to do is watch people drive. Stand on any busy street corner five minutes, and you’ll see one or more accidents that might hai'e been, if they don’t actually take place. Drive a short distance on any travelled highway, and you’ll see one or more accidents that don’t happen purely because of luck. And this is going on everywhere all the time. By the old reliable law of averages, this condition produces its daily quota of accidents that do occur. The very fact that many accidents are avoided by pure luck means that others are not avoided —because luck never works 24 hours a day seven days a week for anyone. ACCIDENTS AND INSURANCE. “In (he last four years the insurance companies have had insurances on nearly all the motorists on the roads, and they know their records,” said Mr A. Roberts. M.P., in the House of Commons. “If the Minister would investigate the matter, he would probably find that well ever 50 per cent., and it may be up to 75 per cent., of all the persons who are insured for private cars are entitled to a noclaim bonus. An insurance company does not pay a uo-claim bonus to anybody who has had an accident, and if somewhere between 50 and 75 per cent of all the motorists on the road can have a uoclaim bonus, that means that only 25 per cent, have had accidents during die previous year. Quite a considerable proportion of motorists are entitled to a higher no-c!aim bonus, because they have bud no accidents for two years, and another proportion, still quite considerable, are entitled to the maximum no-claim bonus, which means that they have had no accident for three years. It comes to the same thing. If you examine these figures, you will find that there is a small proportion of motorists who do learly nil the damage. They are accident-prone people. The insurance companies know them. There ought to be some means by which the Minister of Transport can collaborate with the insurance companies. If he is going to deal with this question

[ltems of news—short descriptions, of tours, the state of the roads, stc,, comment, or inquiries will bs welcomed by “ Accelerator.”]

of driving tests or with, the efficiency of new drivers, he ought to be able to weed out this particularly dangerous section of drivers.”

CAUSES OF STREET ACCIDENTS. A conclusion that greater care should be exercised by all road-users has been drawn by a Wellington City Council officer, who has recently completed an extensive report following an investigation, extending over the past two years, of street accidents in the city. A similar report, relating to the causes of such accidents in Auckland, is in course of preparation. The officer who made the investigation states iii his report that any attempt to tie down ah accident to any one cause, even to a principal one, is particularly difficult, oh account of the variety of contributing factors. An attempt has been made, however, to determine the most probable principal causes of 745 street accidents that occurred in Wellington in the period under review. The following table sets out the conclusions reached: —

Of the 170 accidents in which pedestrians were involved 124, or 73 per cent., were caused by pedestrians, 113 accidents being due To the failure to keep a proper lookout when crossing streets, five to attempts by pedestrians to avoid other vehicles, and six to other pedestrian causes, the report states. It is held that in eight of the nine fatal pedestrian accidents the pedestrian was at fault, and the cause of 15 of the 23 serious injuries to pedestrians was attributed to the pedestrian. Errors and breaches of the motor regulations as causes of accident are -analysed in the following table: Per-

# Principally collisions between trams and motor vehicles in passing. The report attributes 19 accidents, including one fatality and two others resulting in serious injury, to mechanical defects. Brakes figured in 12 eases, steering equipment m two, the general unroadworthy condition of a car in one fatality, ahd other defects in four instances. The 30 accidents said to have resulted from the condition of the roadways are analysed as follows: —Wet roadway, 10; narrowness of roadway or junction, 8; oil or frost on roadway, 6; other roadway causes, 3; loose gravel, 2; poor visibility at corner, 1. Referring to the 64 accidents which are classed under the heading of “general causes,” the report remarks that the poor visibility total, 15, is bad, and that in many cases such accidents are attributable to obscured windscreens and faulty windscreen wipers.

THE MOTOR CYCLE FIXTURES. , OTAGO MOTOR CLUB CYCLE : SECTION. June 16,—Social run. June 18. —Annual meeting. CLUB NOTES. Next Saturday the O.M.C. Cycle Section is holding a social run, leaving the club rooms at 2 p.m. As this is the final event of the club’s year, all members are invited to turn out and attend this run. Members will notice that the annual meeting is to be held in the club rooms on Monday, June 18, not Tuesday, June 19, as previously arranged. All members and friends are invited to attend this meeting. Following the general business the office-bearers for the ensuing year will be elected and trophies for the past year’s events presented. SPARKS A pedestrian is a man whose wife has gone out in the car. * ¥• V The Christchurch City Council actually prosecuted a pedestrian last week for disobeying a traffic signal, remarks “ Chassis.” and he proffers an inquiry: Does this mean the abolition of class distinction so far as traffic regulation is concerned? V * * The life built into the modern motor car is almost incredible. One of the Dunlop test cars, a Humber Pullman limousine, covered 100,000 miles in 16 months. The average distance travelled a month was 6250 miles, spread over 300 miles a day for five days a week. V V Radiator wobble is due usually to looseness as well ns inherent front-end instability. Tightening of the mounting studs and a turn or two on the nuts at the end of the brace rods between the dash and radiator will end a great deal of the unsteadiness. V A hot radiator should -‘never be filled with cold water. The sudden pouring in of cold water may cause the cylinder block to crack. When the radiator is excessively hot cold water should only be added a little at a time at intervals. The team of American wrestlers which is at present appearing in New Zealand seriously considered bringing its own cars here with a view to selling them, says a northern exchange. The wrestlers discovered, as so many who have had the same bright idea before have, that the duty is too high and that under the new regulations the controls and steering have to be shifted. The proposition was altogether too expensive. * * * Fourteen of the Slates of America have reduced the registration fees for private cars this year. The object is to check the decline that has been m evidence during the past few years. In four of these States the lower tees have been in effect for some time, and there has been a decided increase in the number *of registrations. Last July the total number of pasenger ears registered in the whole of the States was 19,115.064. against 10,726.353 a year earlier, a decline of 3 per cent., the lowest decline since 1930.

Number of PerCause. accidents. centage. Breach of regulations— Driver 477 64.0 Pedestrian .. .. 124 16.6 Headway .. 30 4.0 Mechanical defects .... 19 2.6 General .. 64 8.6 Cause unknown or unstated 31 4.2 Total 745 100.0

Number of centage of total accidents. accidents. Failure to keep a proper lookout 150 31.4 Failure to give way to the right 100 21.0 ‘Cutting in and passing OS 20.5 Other breaches of reguation fi ..... .. ., 30 6.3 Excessive speed .. .. 29 6.1 Wrong side of road .. 25 5.2 Failure to signal or signal properly .. .. 17 3.6 Cutting corner ,. .. 16 3.3 Insufficient or glaring headlights 5 1.1 Passing stationary tram 5 1.1 Passing on the wrong side .. 2 0.4 Total .... .. 477 100.0