MISHAPS, THEIR CAUSES AND PREVENTION.
Page 10
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Details of Several Recent Accidents and the Morals to be Drawn from Them.
I N SPITE of the vast numbers of power-driven commercial motor vehicles of all types operating on the roads in this country, the total number af mishaps is really remarkably small, and where they do occur the cause can often be traced either to negligence on the part of the drivers or of the mechanics who are supposed to inspect the vehicles for faults which may be the direct cause of accident.
We publish on this and the preceding page illustrations of mishaps which have occurred recently to various types of vehicles.
The accident in which an A.E.C. lorry belonging to Messrs. Buckley's Brewery, Llanelly, struck a bank and turned over on to its side, is a typical instance of the risa of paying regard to hails from the roadside.
At the time thenaccident occurred the vehicle was travelling at a speed of between 20 and 25 m.p.h., and this down a long incline. The driver thought that somebody had called to him and looked round, with the result that the near side front wheel touched a low bank which was at the commencement of a track leading from the main road. By some extraordinary chance not a single part of the chassis was damaged, the only damage done being that to the cab and windscreen. After righting the vehicle it was driven out of the turning, reloaded, and taken home under its own power.
The drop atthe point where the vehicle was lying is about 7 ft., and it was only prevented from being turned completely upside down by the stone wall shown.
The driver and two of the three other men escaped practically unhurt, whilst the man who was sitting at the back of the vehicle had a leg broken.
Next. to the illustration of this vehicle is one of a Midland single-deck omnibus which charged into a ditch and hedge on the Coventry-Leicester road, fortunately, without causing injury to anyone. We do not know the reason why the vehicle behaved in this manner, but
c12 it was probably due to some fault in the steering gear, .and, if so, might have been prevented by more careful inspection of this vital part of the chassis and the removal and heat treatment of the fatigued parts at fixed intervals. One of the illustrations on this page shows the Enox tractor-lorry belonging to the Bays Wharf Cartage co., Ltd., which, owing to a breakage in the steering gear, charged into a ditch. ft will be noted that. the tractor portion of the vehicle was, arrested ,first, whilst the trailer portion became disconnected and over-ran the former.
The larger illustration on this page shows the remains of "a Pierce-Arrow lorry after it had taken fire whilst carrying a load of 30 barrels of turpentine. The driver stated that the fire was caused by a backfire into the carburetter, but it is difficult to imagine why this should have caused anything more
than a slight blaze under the bonnet, unless the turpentine had been leaking. The spot where the fire occurred was in the Savernake Forest, and for about three miles before this point is reached the Bath Road is in a shocking condition. In our opinion the shaking the vehicle endured must have caused one or more of the barrels to .spring ,a leak, with the result that the contents ran about the lorry without the driver's knowledge.
We have not been informed as to whether this particular vehicle was carrying a fire extinguisher, and it is possible that the provision of such an appliance as a Pyrene might have saved the situation. It is interesting to note that. the extreme heat of the highly combustible material, combined with the weight of the load, had Caused the whole vehicle to sag both in the centre and at the rear en:1