BETTER DRIVERS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 326, 13 September 1932, Page 2

BETTER DRIVERS

HANDLING A CAR KNOWLEDGE OF ENGINE IS A FIKST ! ESSENTIAL. I : — i IIIGHROAD AND BYROAD. j Driving a car is so easy nowadays, thanks to lightly op-erating controls and the high standard of mecbanical excellence of the modern vehicle, that it is often forgotten by many motor- j ists that there are degrees of driving ; efficiency. These may be classihed as driving, good driving and better driving. To my mind driving merely consists of piloting a car through the , streets or along the roads without coming into contact with' other cars, road-users or obstacles. It represents the lowest form of j driving efficiency — knowledge of the j operation of the controls without imagination. It is this type of driver who keeps to the crown of the road most of the time, chooses the narrowest winding lanes for crawling* along with the result that no other car can pass, makes a hahit of trying to turn in the most crowded city thoroughfares, reverses in a series of jei'ks, parks his car two or three feet from the kex'b and generally makes himself a nuisance to everybody without actually breaking any motoring law or damaging his own or anyhody else's car. The good driver commits none of the aforesaid offences and does his utmost to show consideration to all other road-users by giving signals which state his intention clearly; in fact, he gives evidence all the time of knowledge of the controls plus intelligence. He seems to be able to gauge exactly when he can overtalce without inconveniencing anybody, he knows to a moment when he ought to take his foot off the accelerator pedal preparatory to slowing down, ancl he knows also what it is safe to do and what is not safe to do. Know Your Engine. Now we come to a definition of the better driver. I would describe him as a driver who in addition to using his controls intelligently and doing all the things implied in the term 'roadsense," has also as complete a knowledge of the mechanism and capabilities of his car as it is possihle for any motorist who is not an engineer to possess. The "better" driver and his car react upon each other all the time. He knows from tbe note of his engine what sort of mood it is in, and he handles his car accordingly. He knows in short how to gct the best out of his car, anc1 in geitT.g the best out of it he also, of course, gets the best out of motoring. By way oi illustration I may give one instance of the additional knowledge which goes to the malcing of the better driver. Most drivers when they are nearing the top of a hill automatically press down the accelerator pedal when the car begins to slacken speed. But the lcnowledgeable driver does evactly the reverse. Instead of opening the throttle more he clos'es it slightly with almost imperccptible touches and the result is that the engine is helped to do its work. One of the annoying things to a motorist is to see a fellow-motorist with exactly the same model pass him on a hill. As often as not the explanation is that the passer is a better driver than the passed. It may he that he knows how to control the^ throttle and the probability is also that' he knows exactly when to change down to a lower gear. These and other driving refinements can only be acquired by an intelligent interest in tbe mechanism of the car and by constant study of its performance undar all conditions. Carburetter Lore. From a recent Automohile Association return I notice that during one month this year no fewer than 2306 A.A. members called upon the patrols for assistance to overcome carburation trouble. I think I am safe in saying that the large majority of these car owners do not belong to the better driver class, and I susp'sct nhat tb.eir carburation trouble was not much more than a ehoked jet. Tlie better driver cleans his filters periodically, uses only a reputable brand of fuel and seldom has trouble with his carburetter. But even if trouble comes he knows how to deal with it. It is curious how few car owners take pains to find out how t.o dismantle a carburetter and clean it. With the modern carburetter there is nothing simpler in the world than to take it down, remove any foreign matter and re-assemble it again. But that is the worst of .the modern car. It discourages all mechanical initiative with the result that even the carburetter is looked upon by many as something with which only a qualified mechanic can take liberties. To give drivers who aspire to be better drivers I suggest, as I have ■prohahly do.ne on previous occasions, that they should ask the mechanic at their garage to show them how to get the better of a choked jet. The small gratuity consequent upon such information will prove well-spent money. It may even save the considerable expense of having to summon aid from a distance.