MEMS. FOR WOMEN MOTORISTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 128, 20 August 1927, Page 18

MEMS. FOR WOMEN MOTORISTS

In view of the accidents that take place from time to time as a result of skidding, drivers should include in their driving lessons the best method of countering a skid. There are one or two general rules which, if followed, reduce to a minimum the possibility of the skid developing into an accident. The first rule is to make no abrupt movements of any sort. In other words the woman driver, finding the car in a skid, should never accelerate* brake or swerve suddenly. An important rule for^avoiding skids is never to touch the clutch pedal when applying the brakes. Many inexperienced drivers have a habit of applying the clutch pedal simultaneously xyjth the brake pedal when driving .on ordinary dry roafts, and they follow the same procedure on wet or skiddy roads, \/i*h the' result that the car goes into a skid. The ciutch should be left alone except when the car is to be brought to a complete halt, when it should be thrown out just before the car is about to come to a stop. It is one of the finer points of driving to know when to put out the clutch. If the clutch is disengaged the rear wheels are no longer driving and the car is running along freely. A skid is more likely to occur when the brakes are. applied and the rear wheels are merely rolling than if they are steadied by the engine. When the clutch is left in engagement the car decelerates much more quickly because the removal of the foot from the accelerator pedal makes the engine an additional brake. If the woman driver finds herself in a skid she should gently “feel” her steering wheel in the direction of the skid. It is better to use judgment than brakes.