SAFETY ON THE ROADS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22508, 16 September 1938, Page 17

SAFETY ON THE ROADS

Danger of Smooth

Tyres

THREE ACCIDENTS IN

LAST WEEK

"In a ■ North Island city in the last week there were three motor-vehicle accidents directly attributable to badly worn or otherwise unsafe tyres and these circumstances offer a lesson to drivers.” says the latest safety message of the Automobile Association. Canterbury. *‘ln one instance at least a car became unmanageable when a tyre blew out, and the car swerved and turned topsy-turvy. Fortunately no one was injured. It was found that the tyre that had blown out had worn threadbare, and another tyre on the vehicle was so worri that a sleeve was used.

"Any driver who makes the slightest pretence to being safe cannot afford tc neglect the condition of the tyres nor take the slightest chance of a blow-out occurring. Tyres that are worn smooth are’ bad enough from a safe motoring point ot view, as smooth tyres make the car’s braking system useless or ineffective. The ability to bring a car to a halt rests entirely on the amount of friction which exists between the tyres and the road surface, and It cannot be said that the elements for safe stop ping are present when a smooth, badlyworn tyre is in contact with a paved wet or glazed road surface. The better the tread on the tyres and the drier the road surface the greater the chance of the safe stop which shoulc be expected by all drivers, “But if the tyre is badly worn’ as well as smooth, the danger is increased as not only is the driver faced with difficulty in halting, but a collapse of the tyre fabric may bring serious trouble. Think, for instance, of the risk of a blow-out on a hill road with a possible swerve over a declivity, or a head-on collision with another vehicle.

“Some drivers force their tyres to stand the limit in wear, load, and speed, and the practice cannot be condemned too strongly. “Safe, sound tyres are absolutely essential to safe motoring, and no chances of any sort should be taken with them.”

BUYING ON TIME

PAYMENTS

EFFECT ON THE MOTOR INDUSTRY

IMI'ORTANT FACTOR IN GROWTH

In view of the far-reaching effect that the “deferred payment” system of purchasing an automobile has had on the development of the world motor industry—the annual sales figures assuming colossal figures throughout the world—it is interesting to recall that, only in 1916, a solfemn warning was Issued by the United States National Automobile Chamber of Commerce against advertising what it called “deferred payments,” claiming it was likely to hurt business and wag not in keeping with the standards of the industry. In those days, most buyers of cars and trucks paid cash, and the tradein of a used machine was not an established part of the selling system of the motor business. What an evolution has taken place since then, says the Dunlop Bulletin. . . Throughout the world, instalment buying, to-day is not only approved by the Industry as a whole, but has been one ef the chief factors in the remarkable growth of the automobile Industry during the last 20 years. There would be ,no annual production of from five to six million new cars and commercial vehicles a year if spot cash had to be paid to the vendors, nor would half of the millions of hands be employed in their manufacture. The natural corollary would be increased production costs and higher initial retail prices. While world figures are not available as to the percentage of sales of new units made on a deferred payment basis, it is fairly safe to put the world figure at well over 60 per cent, of the total annual output and sales. American statistics disclose that, in 1937, sales of new automobiles on the instalment plan in the United States amounted to £456,000,000 —a sum which is stated to be 75 per cent, greater than the combined instalment sales of all other commodities in that country. Most of this huge sum is handled by finance corporations which take over the instalment agreements from the dealers who, In turn, are enabled to pay the manufacturer for new units.

Without this system of finance, the world’s most progressive secondary industry, and one of its largest, would not have attained the huge dimensions it has, nor would some tens of millions of owners of automobiles in all parts of the globe be reaping today the benefits and advantages that accrue 'from automotive transport of people and merchandise. In Australia, it is computed by com"patent authorities that 80 per cent, of the new cars and commercial vehicles sold in the Commonwealth are bought on this system. Furthermore, it also has been adopted by many Dunlop lyre dealers in certain cities and country centres throughout Australia, with a view to enabling many motorists to drive on safe tyres instead of dangerously worn ones, thereby contributing to road safety. It is of interest to mention that, during the last, few years, the practice of many motor houses in the United States, in doing costly servicing work on automobiles on a deferred payment basis, has received considerable attention. According to reports, many motor service men have found this practice adds a. welcome addition to their incomes, for many a motor owner in need of extensive repairs and replacements to his vehicle will have the work done on a deferred payment basis which, under a cash system, would be forgone by the owner. Another point—a psychological one—is that the owner who has repair work done on this basis has'greater confidence, because he cannot help but feel that since the service man is willing to accept payment for costly jobs on the deferred payment plan, the dealer himself is confident that the work done was properly carried out." ..