HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20504, 21 May 1938, Page 28 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

DRIVING IN PROCESSION DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS Nowadays. it is no uncommon sight t , see a long string of fast-moving ra.-s driving close behind one another, n practice which, at times, leads to crashes, dented mudguards and bent bumpers. Procession driving in close formation, with its sudden stops and *• . rts, is not only risky, but makes overtaking difficult and dangerous. Motor traffic moves at varying speeds. A siring of cars Is .usually c 'iitinually slowing and accelerating, <M,d sooner or later, unless one Is ex-ir.-rnely alert or lucky, the time comes v.imn a sudden stop by the vehicle Ahead leaves insufficient room to pull uu. The result may be expensive and possibly serious. During recent years, many motor drivers, relying on the highly-effloient 1 : .kp systems of their cars, drive only a i'p\v feet in Hie rear of another autot dole al fairly high speeds, Ignoring f <> risks incidental to an abrupt stop the vehicle ahead. Few such drivprobably ever give a thought as t the dangerous aspects of ; such a 1 ictice. A Further Instance A further reason why driving in close f l ’nation is inadvisable is that over--1 i mg is then both difficult and risky, f without pulling well out of the s'roam of I raffle, nothing can be seen <ll the ro.id in front, with the result t at a collision with oncoming trafflo is quite possible. By hanging fairly well back, road conditions ahead can be watched, and when a suitable space is available for accelerating, the passing of the vehicle ahead is much easier and SRfer than hopefully starting to creep past at a speed' only a few m.p.h. faster than the overtaken car. Far better to let a few cars cut-in. however annoying it in iy bp, than to cling to the danger** ous habit of driving too close to the vehicle in front. A striking instance of what can hnppon in this connection Is related In the Dunlop Bulletin. On a popular highway lending to a mountain resort some no miles from Melbourne, a truck was recently showing the way at a fairly fast speed up a long ascent. It was trailed closely hv a number of cars in rinse formation. Without warning, -the truck camp to an abrupt stop and five of the nearest, cars trailing it crashed into each other. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, hut the risk to life and property is there all the time one adopts this risky practice. One thing is certain—procession driving Is certainly not conducive to safety on the road.

BKIDDINQ TEBTB As the result of some 2d.non skidding tests conducted at the Ohio State i University (U.S.A.), some important | findings have been revealed from an I automobile safety standpoint. It was proved that, regardless of tyre tread design, adhesion between | road and tyres decreases -with the 1 speed of the vehicle, reducing resistance to skidding and Increasing the ! difficulty of bringing a fast travelling 1 car or truck to a stop In an emergency, j This effect is most pronounced from a 1 braking standpoint. The tests (Its- ' closed that a light rain causes the j average bitumen-faced road to become about one-third more slippery, also that sliding the wheels of an automobile when applying brakes results in the vehicle travelling much farther before it is brought to a stop. Furthermore, that tyres which have been worn smooth, may as much as double the tendency for wheels to slide when brakes are applied, a fact which Is evidently not appreciated fully by many Australian motor owners, judging by the large percentage of automobiles seen on our streets and highways running on tyres with smooth worn treads. Driving on tyres In such I condition constitutes a definite risk, [ when travelling on wet roads. From a motor operating viewpoint, [ the tests indicate that brakes which lock too easily are a hazard rather than j a help, and that adjusting brakes so i that a car nr truck can he slid to a j stop, as is the custom In some service j stations, decreases rather than In- j creases driving safety. i SPARK PLUGS AND PETROL WASTE A director of engineering research at. the University of Michigan (U.S.A.) I recently issued a report as to why the { spark plugs of automobiles waste pet- j roi after they have been operated for: 10. non miles or over. There are two | main reasons, lie said, why improve- j menf in fuel consumption and engine efficiency follows the flttinsr of new plugs. One of these Is the fact that Hie surface of the porcelain becomes Impregnated with a material which decreases its resistance to the flow of electrical current. The other is that the constant passage of the spark between the points causes ionisation of the surface materials, gradually resulting in the evaporation of certain materials from the wire, with the result that the longer they arp used the. higher the voltage required to make the spark jump the given sized gap. , Tests conducted at the University Laboratory revealed that the loss of I fuel mileage from using old spark plugs may amount to from 10 to 15 per cent.

A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS.

OVERCROWDING THE DRIVER 1 Many instances have come under I notice recently of the habit which ‘ some drivers have of overcrowding the driver's seat to such an extent that the safe manipulation of the various controls is jeopardised. Of course, there are quite a number of motor vehicles so designed and constructed to house comfortably, three medium-sized adults in the front seat, but, on the other hand, it is obvious that many motor cars are not so designed. If a motor vehicle is so constructed that an extra passenger in the front scat means delay in reaching the controls, or interference with the free access of the driver in reaching those controls, then a risk is being taken by the driver. It is essential at all times for the operator of a motor vehicle to he able to act Instantly in an emergency. Strangely enough, many drivers who see fit to crowd the front seat do not use a speed commensurate with the restrictions placed on their access to the controls. It, is essential that every driver have fi-pedom of movement and comfort, arid that is not possible if there Is overcrowding In the front seat. There have been many accidents caused In New Zealand throng'll drivers being hampered in the prr.ppr control of their motor vehicles: there have been instances where drivers have lost control through being .jostled and crowded by an extra passenger alongside of them. RUBBER KERBS Rubber kerbs are now being laid on some arterial roads in England with the object of minimising the danger of high stone kerbs at points where automobiles frequently have trouble owing to violent skids on slippery roads. In Great Britain during the winter season, the temperature at times gets down to freezing point, resulting in the surface of some of the major roads being thinly coated with Ice, which renders driving a trying experience owing to the risk of skidding. The. use of rubber kerbs at danger points will reduce the impact and minimise the risks associated with a side-skid in!.o a stone-kerbed gutter. ?ome such accidents In England have had fatal results.