CAR FATIGUE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19632, 28 October 1933, Page 14

CAR FATIGUE

SOME OF THE CAUSES. The problem of eye-strain in longdistance automobile driving and riding has received scant attention from manufacturers, according to Dr. Moss, of the George Washington University, in an address to the Motor Engineering Congress at Chicago. Tests made with a visiometer after drives of 300 and 500 miles showed "a definite tendency for the visual acuity to decrease with prolonged driving.” He offers the opinion that many accidents may be due to lessened eye efficiency after prolonged driving. Cars have enormously improved in riding comfort during the last few years, Dr. Moss said. He notes, however, that little investigation has been directed at the effect of seats on bodily posture and fatigue. Studies along this line should include not only the effect of cushions, but also the angles and contour of the seat and the softness and material of the upholstery. More attention should be given to the problem of removing carbon monoxide or preventing its entrance into the passenger compartment. He suggested the use of rats for experimental purposes with regard to the question of ventilation. A cage of rats could be placed in each of two or more cars with different ventilating systems and driven around , under various conditions exposing the rats to the draughts produced. "The advantage of such a sytem,” he declared, “is that it gets away from the wild claims and unreliability of statements based on subjective hunches; and, by such a system one could vary the conditions so that one could determine the optimum place for inlets and outlets of air and other related questions.”