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ARE COACH ACCIDENTS PREVENTABLE?

29th August 1922
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Page 9, 29th August 1922 — ARE COACH ACCIDENTS PREVENTABLE?
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Failure of Brakes or Steering is, nowadays, the Result of Ignorance, Carelessness oi Neglect. Steps Should be Taken to Prevent Such Occurrences.

ACCIDENTS to motor coaches may seem very prevalent, but, when one considers all the facts surrounding the case, it is aquestion whether the passenger is in even as much danger when travelling in a motor coach as he would be in any other class of road vehicle. There are many things which may go towards misleading the public view of the matter. Before the motor era, brakes or chars-h.'banes were horse-drawn, and only a very limited number of them were running. We have nofigures to guide us, but it is not difficult to see that the number of passengers -carried by motor coaches is enormous compared with those who used to be carried by horsedrawn brakes. In spite of the small numbers carried; never a summer passed without a fair toll of accidents, and a paragraph headed "A char-a-banes overturns" was by no means uncommon. No aeroplane views were taken of the accident to fill the front page of an illustrated paper, and very little was thought about it.

But, even if it be admitted that coach accidents are not so numerou's as they might seem, from a study of the daily papers, to lo, t will be plain to all that, few as they may be considering the vast numbers of passengers carried, they unquestionably do harm, and it would be considerably better for the industry and for the proprietors of motor coaches if they could be prevented or if their numbers could be reduced.

In the opinion of those best informed in such mat

ters, the majority of motor coach accidents are preventable. We support this opinion, and say that, virtually, none of them should happen, and we are encouraged in this attitude by the fact that, in only Very few cases, out of accidents that have occurred, have they been attributable to some cause which no forethought or care could have altered.

Careless or reckless driving is, undoubtedly, responsible for the largest proportion of themccidents to

motor coaches. Sideslips on greasy roads are, in most eases, the result of driving too fast over dangerous ground. Collisions, and accidents caused in attempts to avoid them, are usually the result of not keeping a proper look out or of driving too fast. The overtaking and passing of anothervehicle when rounding a curve in the road is another cause ,of trouble, as an approaching vehicle may come into sight at any moment and any one of the three drivers may become nervous and -lose his head. Usually, the passengers on a public motor coach are not motorists themselves, and, do not notice the risks run ; so they make no complaints. To travel in.such vehicles is often most unpleasant for one who is an old and experienced motorist. The crossing of main roads without sounding a warning, the overtaking and passing of other vehicles on narrow roads and other antics of the driver will give him coldshivers.

There is no justification for condemning motor coach drivers as a whole, but if an experienced motor let were to take a ride in a public motor coach he would almost certainly see some act on the part of the driver which would make him think there must be some divine providence watching over such men, for risks are seen to be taken whichthe qualified driver would never dare to take were he at the helm.

Accidents due to -defective design are rare, and are even more rare than they seem, as in many cases the designer is blamed for some carelessness, such as the leaving out of a cotter pin or the guard washer in a ball-bearing hub which, as a matter of fact, has occurred when reassembling after an overhaul. The de! signer is not usually present at any investigatioe to defend himself, and he is often looked upon as fair sport and quite a suitable recipient of any blame. The well-known expressions, "the brakes failed to act ". or "the steering gear became unmanageable," which one so oftenhears used after an accident has happened, are often entirely misleading. Such expressions would lead one to believe that there had been some fault in the construction, when, in reality, the design and workmanship have been quite sets. factory, and the fault has been due to negligence in maintaining the parts in proper condition. In the early days of such vehicles there were no doubt faults of design, and it now well known that one of the first serious accidents, when sixteen people -were killed, was due to faulty construction. But that was many years ago, and such defects in design are almost un--known now, provided the vehicles are used for the purpose for which they were designed, and pleasure cars are not asked to carry char-a-banes bodies, and that the parts likely to cause accident if they should fail to do their duty are properly looked after.

Neglect is the Chief Cause of Accidents.

Next to careless driving, neglect is the commonest cause of accident. It is more common that one would think, as, in most cases, those responsible for the neglect will take means to hide all traces of their negligence. The failure of brakes is, perhaps, the most frequent result of neglect. In most vehicles one of the two brakes is more efficient than the other, or is more easily applied. This causes the driver to acquire a habit of using, and, moreover, relying upon, one brake only. In many cases he will almost forget the existence of the other brake, and let it get into an inoperative state. Should trouble come with his favourite brake, he realizes only when it is too late for what the other brake was provided.

If a brake will work one day it should work equally well another day, unless some part of it breaks, which is very uncommon. All frictional surfaces of brakes wear away or, if they are of fibrous material, they compress. Both of these actions necessitate adjustment from time to time. These adjustments are often carried as far as their tether, and the fact that there is no further latitude for adjustment is not reported to the Owner.

Brake adjustments should receive frequent attention, and be examined by some competent person. Wheels should be removed, and the linings of the shoes examined to make sure that they are of a proper thickness to support the rivets which attach them to their shoes. Drivers should be made to descend a hill, and first stop with one brake and then -with the other. A negligent driver will often cover-his neglect by showing how he can stop his vehicle by applying both brakes simultaneously. This should never be accepted as a test ; each brake should be tried separately, and either should be capable of stop-ping the vehicle in a reasonable distance The most -common instances of the neglect of which we are speaking are shown in the accompanying illustrations. Fig. 1 is an instance where some part of the rod has been adjusted so that a pull rod can no longer work pivotally in its knuckle joint. It will not Only prevent proper movement taking place, but will, in some instances, result in breakage of the rod at the point B_ Fig. 2 shows a lever OA) in such a pesition that it cannot impart proper rotary move

meet to the shaft (5) on which it is mounted. 'This is usually caused through wear in the brake shoes or linings having taken place to an undue extent.

Fig. 3 shows an instance where the expander (E) has arrived at such a position that. its largest diameter will pass between the faces of the brake shoes against which it impinges. This is a very serious thing to happen, and; as it gives no external indication of the state of the shoes, it is all the more dangerous. Instances of this have been found in brakes fitted with a six-splined expander shaft, where the lever has arrived at the position Shown in Fig. 2, and some ultra ingenious person has detached the lever from its shaft and shifted it to another spline, thinking that that had put all things right. Fig. 4 shows a cam-actuated brake which, through neglect, has become inoperative, the cams having exceeded the limit of their operation. The faces of the cams (A) on the shaft have overridden the faces of the cams (Al) on the brake shoes, yet on inspection the brake gear would appear to be quite in order. This, as a matter of fact, is a very serious trap for the unwary. Fig. 5 shows a shoe where the lining has become so thin through wear that it is unable to offer sufficient support to the rivets, and part of it has been torn off, leaving only the least useful part

in place. When we hear the old cry that "the brakes failed to act," it may be taken that one of the five examples of neglect has taken place.

.Why Failures Occur in Steering Gear.

With regard to failures of steering gear, a recent accident, which nearly proved fatal, was caused by the ball on the steering arm coming out of the socket of the rod which operates it. An inspection of alie rod showed that the slot in which the ball worked had been loose and had rattled itself into a hole of sufficiently lerge diameter for the ball to come out and let the steering " fail to act." Fig. 6 shows the ball and slot as it was when new, and Fig. 7 its condition at the time of the accident, due to wear. In this instance, the vehicle in question was owned by a very large company, who possess a great many vehicles and have a large engineering staff, whose duty it is to keep then. in order. It will be seen from this that it is not only the little man who is blameworthy.

The compensation of brakes by means of a beam similar to that of a scale was thought at one time to ensure a perfectly balanced force of retarda

tion to each wheel. The fallacy of this has been recognized for many years by the more advanced engineers. It is true that a perfectly balanced pressure is ensured on each brake, but this in no way ensures an even retarding force, as one drurn may be oily while the other may be rusty and dry. This, in itself, is no great disadvantage, but the compensated brake has one point to which we wish to call attention, and that is that should, through any accident, a pin fall out or a lever break, the whole arrangement becomes useless, whereas a non-compensated brake will continue to act, even if one side has become inoperative through any mishap. Fig. 8 shows a very good arrangement which has been manufactured for, many years, and has given every. satisfaction. It will be seen that the operating lever is not attached to the shaft, but is attached by means of a key at B to a sleeve which is in turn attached to the brake shaft by meal's of a key at D. The arrangement ensures an even amount of whip in the -shaft which, in turn, ensures an even power being transmitted to each wheel, yet it retains the safety of a rigid brake, as, should either side fail through any cause, -the other is not thrown out of action. That a periodical inspection of all motors carrying a human cargo should be carried out few will dispute. The suggestion that the insurance companies could do this better than any Government body is worth the consideration of all motor ooa,ch owners, as, no matter how efficient or painstaking their own staff may be, one feels security in an independent inspection, as with an auditor in the matter .of accounts.

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