Look to• Your Brakes
Page 39
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IT would seem from the number of itelephone inquiries that we me receiving 'dative to vehicle brakes, that the police are particularly active at tile present time This being so, all operators would be well advised to assure themselves that the braking systems on their vehicles are in efficient working order. If possible, the brakes should be tried out at speeds of 20 or 30 m.p.h., according to the type of vehicle.
As a guide, the f011owing figures, which are taken from the Ferodo chart, should help operators to determine whether the brakes are in reasonably good order or not An efficiency of 70 per cent, can be taken as excellent; 60 per cent. very good; 50 per cent. good; 40 per cent.. fair, and, 30 per cent. dangerous in an emergency.
To pull up in 20 ft. from 20 m.p.h. represents 70 per cent. efficiency; 24 ft„ 60 per cent.; 28 ft., 50 per cent.; 34 ft., 40 per cent. and 46 ft., 30 per cent.
Equivalent figures of efficiency from 30 m.p.h. would be recorded with the following stopping distances:-44f1„ 52 ft., 61 ft., 76 ft., and .100 ft.
The foregoing figures do not take into account any unusual circumstances such as varying conditions of road surface. Should the wheels pick up on a wet surface they will merely
slide, because a lockei wheel, with water acting as a lubectet between the rubber and the-road, has practically no retardation effect.
In those cases where the police assert that the brakes are inefficient in, their stopping capabilities, as opposed to an obvious mechanical fault, the foregoing information may prove of some value in contesting the summons.
Apart altogether from a police quiz, it is vitally essential that every vehicle on the road should have effective brakes. All efforts to reduce the toll of the roads is negatived if a driver cannot pull up quickly in an emergency,