Bay Test Confuses the Artics
Page 58
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A number of drivers in the widthjudging test gave themselves over 4 ft. on each side of the vehicle to get through the pylons whilst others managed with a total clearance of about 1 ft. According to the marshals the bad ones didn't bother to read the instructions and aimed at travelling in a straight line to the end. It was not in many cases lack of basic competence. The drivers of the heavies knew the form (with some exceptions) but were at a disadvantage to the smaller fry to the tune of 40 points or more comparing best with best.
Altough many drivers of smaller vehicles performed well in the kerb parking test their skill was dwarfed by heavies' drivers who matched them on points. In class E2 the winner, W. Goody (B.R.S.) at the wheel of a Leyland dropped only _23 points in this test whilst the second on points, W. Eaton of W.
Allport and Sons, lost only 14 marks Eaton dropped 118 in the width tes compared with Goody's penalty of 88 As last year at the Birmingham contes and at other centres, the severity of th, width-judging contest created an un balance. Even those who took a chanci and got away with it often lost as man] points on this test as were dropped oi all the other tests put together. In con trast the better drivers lost far fewe points on the bay test despite its averag heavy toll and showed that a lot of skil produced a just reward.
Before presenting the trophies, Mi E. J. Dodd, chief constable of Birmink ham, said that the police " never chivviei unnecessarily." Their aim was roa safety and he appealed to drivers to as a high standard of road behaviour b example to an even greater degree tha
they had done in the past. P.A.C.B.