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The Technique of

14th March 1947, Page 52
14th March 1947
Page 52
Page 53
Page 52, 14th March 1947 — The Technique of
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

SAFE DRIVING

often asserted that immediately a man gets hold of a steering wheel he

ceases to be a gentleman. I am inclined to agree that this is so, but why it should be is difficult to explain. At the root, it is probably-caused by selfishness, a vice which may be quite foreign to the individual in the ordinary way.

In my view, this lack of consideration for others is promoted by the nervous tension under which one is put in the effort to avoid trouble from the numerous .sources from which it can spring. A driver may not be conscious of the full extent of his concentration, any more than a person is aware that certain muscles are remaining taut when he has been asked to relax them.

What, you may ask, is all this about, and what has it got to do with safe driving? Just that we have to treat every driver on the road as an unknown quantity, and, in consequence, frame our own behaviour accordingly.

Driver Temperament Unnecessary use of the horn rarely fails to promote irritability, and when one hoot will suffice there is no object in giving two. At night, the head lights can be used mos. effectively as a signal of intention to overtake. If you wish to observe driver temperament, just try the two methods—head lights and horn. In the first case, you will probably be waved on, and, in the second, the chances are that the driver who is being overtaken will stick to his course, and may even accelerate.

It is most dangerous to "open out" when being overtaken, and equally so to endeavour to overtake unless you can do so quickly and cleanly. If the relative speeds of the two vehicles vary but little, the overtaking machine will have to remain "well over" for a long dis lance, unless the driver goes from bad to worse and cuts in.

When on long-distance night driving, it is fatal to keep the eyes concentrated directly forward for long periods at a stretch. I have found that it promotes a hypnotic effect to the extent of pro

dueing illusory objects in the road ahead. I expect the obvious retort to this, but I feel sure that many long-distance drivers will confirm that it has nothing to do with the effects of alcohol. For the same reason, it is a distinct relief to change the engine note frequently by easing on the accelerator.

Similar considerations apply when the amber turns to green. There is always someone or something that will be the last across, and although the traffic may have started to flow, think of the hundreds of times in your own experience, when it has come to rest again within a couple of yards. Failure to recognize this cost a friend of mine a perfectly useful radiator and fan, but no blame could be attached to the lorry driver, who, 'undoubtedly, was to be congratulated for presers. ing the life of a pedestrian.

A Dangerous Practice

A practice fraught with danger is that of lighting a cigarette at the wheel while driving at night. if you must do it without pulling up, keep your oyes out of the direct rays of the match or lighter. A sudden flash of light in semi-darkness always produces a visual black-out, and it should not be forgotten that quite a lot can happen in a second..

Driving in fog is certainly a nerveracking business, and unless the cargo must go through, the safest thing to do is to remain stationary. The only useful purpose which tram-lines serve is as a guide when driving in fog, and I make them my trump card, • The least helpful thing to do is to switch on the head ights. •

It is always difficult to assess the rate of one's forward progress, end I have found it most helpful frequently to glance directly to the left or right to pick up a stationary object as a guide The alternative is slightly to open the door and watch the ground. 'The rate of forward motion can be gauged only in relation to a stationary object, and in a thick fog one may even be running backwards without being aware of it.

remember an incident in which two vehicles came into collision, and the driver of the leading machine put his brakes on, jumped out, and proceeded to tell the driver behind just what he thought about him. When he was informed that his vehicle had run backwards, he remained quite unconvinced.

It is as well to remember that sometimes the fog bank appears to be thicker than it really is, because of condensation on the windscreen,. I usually keep the wipers running during fogdriving, and wipe the inside of the screen from nee to time. Those drivers who do not mind being enveloped in a damp blanket will raise the windscreen, which is certainly the best course, as it enables a better view of the left-hand kerb to be obtained. A fog lamp. fitted at bumper height, and directed towards the left-hand kerb a few feet ahead of the vehicle, is the mosi satisfactory aid to fog-driving. The angle chosen for the beam should be such„, that any object immediately in front comes within the angle of vision. There is little to be gained by concentrating on a coint just by the near-side front wheel, if due attention be not paid to what lies directly ahead.

Some drivers possess an uncanny sense when driving in fog, and if you can tuck in behind one, so much the better. I usually try to pick up a cyclist, and I have found them to be particularly helpful.and sporting in this regard. It becomes exceedingly tiring, however, to keep one's eyes focused on a tail light, mile after mile, and on many occasions I have been reluctantly compelled to lose the cyclist in the gloomy, mass ahead.

Here, by way of a tailpiece, I would quote from the Road Safety Notes published for the information of the West Riding Constabulary: " It is better to be a few minutes late in this world than 40 years too early in the next."


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