Why the Excitement?
Page 57
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I AM quite at a loss to understand why Mr. Harrison, of York Trailers, continues to get so excited on the subject of articulated vehicles jack-knifing. And also why he seems to prefer new braking systems as a solution instead of the mileage-proven Hope anti-jack-knife device. On his own admission, even with new braking systems, jack-knifes can still be "caused by neglect, wear, weather, oil and . . . other external factors". My goodness, Mr. Harrison, what a safety gap you quote to drive an accident through!
The more one studies this problem the more one becomes convinced that new brakes alone are not enough. Artics will still jack-knife and a device is required to control them before the vehicle slides completely out of control.
I recently attended a demonstration by a leading manufacturer —not York—of a new braking system. It was carried out on a dry tarmac surface. When I pointed out that the majority of jackknifes occurred on slippery surfaces and that water ought to have been laid to simulate dangerous conditions, the designer had nothing to say. Later, when he was arguing exactly as Mr. Harrison has argued in your columns I put this question to him: -If a customer leaves your works tomorrow with a rig fitted with the latest and best braking systems will you guarantee that it does not jack-knife?" He replied: "No, I will not."
Mr. Harrison's letter, by its guarded tone, could also have been condensed to those four words. So what are we arguing about? Everyone seems to agree that even the best systems are affected by the many factors Mr. Harrison quotes. Everyone—particularly fleet operators using it—agrees that Fred Hope's device lives up to its claims. Surely the solution for the articulator is a combination of modern braking and an anti-jack-knife device?
Finally I must correct Mr. Harrison when he says he agrees that "some" artics jack-knife. If he had said that no less than 1 in 7 of all accidents involving artics were caused by jack-knifing he would have been a lot closer to the truth.
Frankly I find this figure horrifying and adequate proof that there is no need for me to dramatize the situation—it is already both dramatic and horrific and until accidents are reduced there • will be an understandable resistance by police and public a to heavy artics on our roads in certain weather conditions. JAMES TYE, Controller, British Safety Council, London 1