THe Broad Highway

NZ Truth, Issue 1199, 22 November 1928, Page 6

THe Broad Highway

TT would be interesting to know m this ,age of the motor, with all the attendant multitudinous rules and regulations, just how. man}'- car users understand with clarity all the. "it's," "ors" and "ands" laid down for their, especial benefit. . Dealing" 'with anomalies and glaring weaknesses m the gazet!.<;d motor regulations, the unfortunate owner is again between the devil and the deep sea. More, particularly is this so m the matter of parking. Police and city authorities are at variance. 'over the correct interpretation" of the clauses dealing with cars lciitin lighted, and unlighted areas which have beeii set apart for parking places/ In the regulations brought down m March, certain types of rear reflectors were enforced ami now, at a later stage, come amendments to these which are at variance with the former ones. Motor' drivers now 'find that under these amendments they again have to install different, reflectors. This is so m at least, ninety per cent, of cases. The matter of cost doesn't enter into the question at all. But m any case the whole swelter of technicalities embodied m the Act are, for the most part, ignored by the average car user, even if for ' his own peace of mind., ' • At a speed of 20 m.p.h. a car, according to the little book o!i rules, is allowed 50. feet to pull up m with the foot brake, 1 and 75 feet m the case of the hand brake. Now it is perfectly clear that if", a car's. brakes aa c not defective; and travelling at the of ,speed mentioned', a driver should be able to bring his car to a standstill m a much shorter distance. In cases oi! accident no man could be indicted with having defective brakes if, while attempting to avoid a, collision, hipulled up within the regulation distance. "While all these "do's" and "nots" are admittedly on the Statutes, even those whose duty it is to enforce them recognize the obvious unfairness and weaknesses existing m some of the. I clauses. . . «V"