PARKING YOUR CAR

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 100, 19 July 1927, Page 11

PARKING YOUR CAR

SPACE IS EVERYTHING THINK OF OTHER FELLOWS Motorists in Auckland are growing lax in their methods of leaving cars, and perhaps a little more attention from the motor inspectors may bring the careless to their senses. All drivers are blamed as a class because of the misdemeanours of a few. When a car is pulled up behind another vehicle parallel with the channelling the driver should ensure that there is a gap of at least three or four feet between the vehicles for obvious reasons. There is far too much tampering with the cars of other people. When a man pulls on his hand-brake and leaves his car “parked" others have no lawful right to release the brake, and shove the vehicle from its position. At the present time thoughtless drivers are trying to cram three cars into a space sufficient only for two. It is about time some drivers consulted their sum total of intelligence. After the middle car has gone away, and left a gap, a driver will come along and drive forward into the space, with the natural result that he can’t get his vehicle parallel with the kerbing. So he blocks the emergence of the car behind. There is one correct way to take up a position between two vehicles and that is by resersing into it. Reversing seems to be a lost art with some; with thousands it has never been acquired. There is a variety of driver that all the by-laws in the world will not affect. Drivers do the wrong thing, and do it knowingly. One evening last week I watched the parking efforts of a motorist. First he tried to nose his car into a space half as long as that of his car. Then he got out and pushed one car back a few feet, but the next one to it was locked. So he drove further down, and found another slightly larger space into which, on the angle, he reversed his car, effectively blocking the two nearest cars from emerging. Pie then went away for over two hours, having made sure that he left his lights carefully switched off. It is compulsory to leave lights on parked vehicles, but many break the law in this respect. In many ways motorists might save themselves and their fellow’s a great deal of trouble and expense.