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Passing Comments

22nd March 1957, Page 28
22nd March 1957
Page 28
Page 29
Page 28, 22nd March 1957 — Passing Comments
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Seat Belts Save Many

THE heavy mortality on some American roads

seems to be encouraging the use of safety seat belts, and the demand is such that the Automobile Safety Institute is giving consideration to the matter. Last month it announced that it will issue an approval seal to identify those belts which have passed tests to standards recommended by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Some belts on the market are made to specifications issued by the, Civil Aeronautics Authority, but unreliable belts are becoming widely available.

It is believed that suitable belts will help to reduce the number of deaths and prevent or minimize injuries. They are used in about 3m. vehicles in the States and tests by several universities and research by medical societies have indicated their great advantage in about 60 per cent. of crashes.

A26

A Successfu7 Model

I NFORMATION from various operators of the Commer T.S.3 indicates the success which is being experienced with this interesting product.. Mr. Stuart A. Barr, works manager, Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd., states that the company have standardized on this model for their Torquay depot.

With the first experimental vehicle they found some teething troubles, but co-operation with the makers put them right and effected a permanent cure. The economy is marked, for whereas vehicles previously operated averaged only some 7.5 m.p.g., figures now obtained. are as high as 9.8 m.p.g., consequently it is the company's intention to give further orders for Commcr Avenger coaches.

Some critics were inclined to believe that the new engine was almost too advanced, but time has shown its advantages.

How Macadam was Improved

TARMACADAM is the generic name for a series

of road-surfacing and road-making materials. In this connection the British Road Tar Association have just issued a most interesting and well-illustrated brochure dealing with these products, which were developed from the original water-bound macadam.

With the great and rapid development of road transport, the ensuing clouds of dust and rapid wear showed the need for a better binder than water, which was found in road tar. Soon, the production of crushing, screening and mixing plants made premixed tarmacadam almost universally available and millions of tons, controlled to high-consistency, have, been produced.

The types can be divided roughly into three groups, cold-laid, which contains tar of comparatively low viscosity; warm-laid, suitable for all except the heaviest traffic, and hot-laid, where high stability is essential immediately after laying. _ By varying the maximum size of the coarse aggregate and the relative proportion of this to" the fine grade, together with suitable adjustment in the proportions of filler and tar, any type and quality of tarmacadam can be produced.

All are designed to have,a finished thickness of not less than one-and-a-half times that of the largest aggregate. If laid too thick, however, they will not be properly compacted and may move under traffic.

On the other hand, new roads can be built with successive layers, each " blinded " by coated grit before rolling is completed.

One Satisfied "Customer"

WE have become accustomed to complaints from country districts about the inadequacy of street lighting, so it is pleasant to hear of at least one biped expressing satisfaction. •

In a Sussex town, where the lights at present are out from midnight to 5 a.m., a reader, who has a lamp outside his gate, tells us that, as soon as it is switched on in the morning, a robin perches in a tree beside it and sings unceasingly "tilt daylight doth appear."


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