Action in a Crisis

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 325, 10 April 1928, Page 7

Action in a Crisis

Forewarned is Forearmed LEARN THE REMEDY NOW SEVERAL very unfortunate accidents liave occurred recently, but it may safely be stated that, in many cases, some simple thing went wrong with the ear that temporarily upset the driver. In one case the accelerator jammed and the woman driver was so unnerved that she drove into a post.

I FOREWARNED is forearmed, and suggestions for action in such cases are given below: Naturally every motorist sympathises deeply with all the parties concerned. But behind this sympathy is a feeling of apprehension. What if it happened to me? Would I be equal to the crisis? Thousands of motorists in the country travel untold miles each year without ever meeting a situation that may cause them any grave concern or expose them or other road users to any appreciable danger. But on the other hand the motorcar, being a highly stressed and rather complicated piece of machinery, may ! possibly play the most unsuspected trick at the most inopportune time. In addition, the human controlling element is fallible and liable to mistake. Old and experienced drivers seldom meet with a fatal mishap when anything out of the ordinary “goes wrong.” But this is becauses their long years of training have schooled them into thinking calmly and quickly in the event of a crisis. The newer school of drivers, however, are naturally prone to become j flurried —this is only human nature, I when all is said and done —ahd are • thus incapable of any calm and delibj erate action. Learn Them! A ,g'reat number of serious accij dents could have been avoided had j the driver taken the trouble to learn j a few very simple, but nevertheless J very practical, hints, in relation to ; this subject. Because of the import- • ance of these hints I propose to treat with them briefly in this article. Taking firstly the reported cause of the fatal smash under notice—that of a jammed accelerator: This is probably one of the most terrifying experiences that can pos- . sibly fall to the lot of a new driver, and due to either shoddy manufacture or faulty fitting of throttle control. it. happens rather too frequently. On the other hand the experienced driver instantly knows the symptoms, and although the trouble may not be

rectified from the driver's seat, yet possibility of accident or damage may be “scotched” simply and without effort by three distinct methods. The first and wisest thing to do is simply to switch the engine off. Only half a second’s work and the motor is dead, and the car comes to a standstill. The second method is to push out the clutch as soon as the car starts to bolt, and the third is to thrust the gear lever into neutral position. Obviously either of these two schemes will prevent the engine from driving the car along, and so render the brakes effective in retarding the car’s flight. It must be pointed out, however, that should either of these latter methods be put into practice, the ignition switch must be turned “ofl,” or the petrol tap closed at the earliest possible moment. Otherwise the engine will roar on full throttle without any work to do, and there will be grave danger of wrecking the power plant. Other Dangers We will now deal with a situation where the car is liable to roll over. This may be due to faulty judgment when cornering or sliding down a steeply cambered road. Whichever may b© the case the golden rule of correction of skids must be applied— Steer into the direction of the skid. This advice may on the face of it appear ruthless, for steering into a skid on a bad corner may mean crashing into a wall or ditch. But it is the lesser of two evils: this must be firmly borne in mind. By applying this principle there will always be the chance of finishing up on all four wheels. Any other method will surely mean a capsize with perhaps fatal consequences. Many a serious accident has resulted through a driver losing his presence of mind when the brakes have failed.

With their car gathering speed each moment, they have grimly hung to the steering wheel in the vain hope they may reach the level country in safety. While the effort may prove

successful on a short hill or one where the road conditions are well known, it is always far better to stop the car by any means at the earliest possible moment. Assuming the brakes have failed and the car is getting out of control against top gear engine compression, don’t wait in the vain hope that some fairy will puli the outfit up, but get busy instantly. Throw out the clutch, speed the engine up, and have a shot at the next lower gear. If you manage this the speed will be appreciably checked. Then try the next lower gear by the same method, and as that is usually first or low gear, selection of this .ratio will most assuredly spell control again. No half-hearted efforts at these changes, however. Slam them home with great gusto, for missing gear here means certain damage. Tho Last Resort In the unlikely contingency of failing to reach any of the lower gears, there is only one course open, and that is head for the softest spot available. If there happens to be a steep, soft banking available, head the car for it, and just before striking swing the machine so that as much of the side as possible hits the bank at the one time. Hitting with one front wheel may possibly mean a capsize and probably more material damage than the broadside crash. The last danger is that of fire, and while a remote possibility—forewarned is forearmed. Almost always this is due to backfiring igniting the petrol, in the induction system and float chamber. Occasionally this class of fire may be extinguished by the simple process of pulling up, slipping the gear into neutral. and opening the engine to full power. This will suck the flame into the induction pipe and prevent other damage. Should this fail, turn off the petrol at the vacuum tank and keep the engine running, so that when the available supply of fuel has burned there is nothing further for the flames to consume. This class of fire was a very frequent occurrence where certain rotary engines were used in aircraft, and the method of extinguishing the flame stated above was generally successful. In any case, should the fire obtain a real hold never on any account use water. Always smother the flames by covering the seat of lire with rugs, coats, or any similar materail avail- i able, it is cheaper in the long run. Failing these articles, the copious application of sand or dirt will almost in- j variably prove effective. j