BAD CORNERS DANGEROUS

Southland Times, Issue 23141, 6 March 1937, Page 20

BAD CORNERS DANGEROUS

THE CAUSE OF MANY ACCIDENTS

There is a moral obligation on every driver of a motor-vehicle to make himself as good a driver as he can, writes “Roadster” in The Press, Christchurch. There is far more in the handling of a motor-car than in the steering of it, the applying of brakes at the right times, and the keeping of a reasonable look out for other traffic.

There is a definite technique to be followed, a technique which takes into account the unusual forces which affect a car’s stability and which guards against them before they have a chance to upset its equilibrium. This subject has been discussed often before, but it is referred to again because it is certain that a very large proportion of the fatal accidents which occur on the highways are due, not to recklessness, but to bad driving. The worst offences against good driving are to be seen on corners, and it is on corners that many serious accidents occur. Let a driver really master the art of cornering in complete safety, and he’ has gone a long way towards becoming a perfect driver. Could every motorist become reasonably expert in this one department of driving alone, the roads would probably become 50 per cent, safer than they are. The real art of cornering is perfectly summed up in the way a racing driver expresses the operation. He would never, in describing some incident, say that he went “round” a corner; rather would he say that he went “through” it. This is because, to him, every foot of the road comprised by the bend presents its own little problem. His task, as he sees it, is not simply to follow the curve with his wheels, but to plot a path for himself which will not endanger other road users or expose his car to the grave risk of skidding and which will take it through the bend—mark again the use of the word through—on the straightest possible course.

For this reason, the expert starts to corner some little distance before his car has actually entered the bend. His approach is important. He will slow the car with the brakes while still on the straight, and by the time the car is entering the bend, the brakes will be released and the car accelerating again. A car is always under much fuller control when the engine is pulling than when decelerating. It is very important that, this control is held when a car is negotiating curves and centrifugal force is endeavouring to throw the tail to one side. The driver then starts to plot his path on the curve. Cutting Of Corners

If he has a complete vision of the road and no other traffic is coming in the opposite direction, he will probably shamelessly cut the comer even if that involves going on to the wrong side, because the more roadway there is between the car and the outside of the bend, the more room there is in which to skid if some miscalculation of speed has been made. But he will under no circumstances cut a comer if he has not a clear view, but will, if necessary, reduce speed and stay on his correct side.

In either case, he will keep the steering wheel in constant movement, turning the car by a series of short sharp skids rather than by holding the wheel on one setting. By doing this, he keeps the front wheels for most of the time in the straight ahead position, and by this means neatly prevents any tendency the car has towards skidding before it has a chance to develop. Contrast with this thoughtful, skilful approach and negotiation of a bend, the haphazard manner in which far too many drivers comer. They rush up to a corner (often much too fast because of the deceptive speed of modem cars), slam on the brakes, and while still braking, turn the front wheels into the bend. Is it any wonder that such sudden alteration in direction, accompanied by harsh braking, too often puts a car into a skid which sends it sliding off the road, or, in exceptional cases, turns it right over? And because the brains of the normal human being should dictate at least the elements of correct cornering, is there any real excuse for many of the accidents which occur?

While the art of cornering is easily the most important part of driving, there are a number of other points which require careful judgment, and the exercise of common sense. For example, passing on a corner or near the crest of a hill obviously is fraught with danger, and no driver in his senses will do it. It is comparatively easy to make a mistake in judgment by passing a car when another car is approaching from the opposite direction. Judging the speed of a car from headon is exceedingly difficult, and more than one collision has been caused by a driver who has pulled out to pass, underestimating the speed of an approaching vehicle. When two cars approach each other, the speed at which they approach is the sum of theii- individual speeds.

Even though these are quite moderate, the two added together make a total speed that is far higher than the average individual driver ever attains on the open road. Wet Roads Dangerous

Wet roads are always to be dealt with cautiously. Some types’ of road surface offer excellent grip for the tyres (if they are in good condition with well-defined treads) even when wet, but others do not, and it is practically impossible to judge beforehand how a car will behave on a certain road surface until experiments have been made. Accidents sometimes occur because a driver, having found that the wet road he is on is reasonably safe, proceeds without slackening speed when he comes to a section of road constructed from a different material, and the first warning he has of the slippery* nature of the new surface is given by the sliding back wheels of his car. The moral is to slow down in wet weather driving whenever the road surface changes, and find out whether the new surface provides as good a grip before accelerating again.