30 m.p.h. is Safer
Page 45
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THERE is a great deal of controversy these days about certain men not being willing to drive heavy vehicles at 30 m.p.h. A very important point, which I think, is missed is the fact that if a convoy of vehicles is going along the road and they all drive at 30 m.p.h., there is less risk of accident and congestion, than if some are proceeding at 30, others at 20 and private cars trying to get by at all speeds.
Most motorists would be content to keep behind a convoy, where there is no danger, if they could all do 30 m.p.h. I think that where a lot of accidents occur is through people. trying to .cut in and 30-milers trying to pass 20-milers. I would have thought that it would have been better for all drivers to be able to do 30 m.p.h. when they wish. There is no law to say that any vehicle must do 30 m.p.h., but it would avoid a great deal of police supervision and prosecution if this much discussed 20 m.p.h. could be altered to 30, as we say in business circles, without prejudice. Birmingham, 30.
E. SMITH,
Managing Director, Smith's Garage (Bournville), Ltd.
[This point has not been missed by The Commercial Motor, in fact it has been raised on several occasions in leading articles. It is quite certain that much of the danger on the road is caused by the overtaking of slow vehicles, particularly at points where the roads arc narrow and the visibility to the front limited by curves. Actually the danger is accentuated if vehicles drive too close together in convoy, which is a habit often engendered by impatience. It means that one or several trying to overtake, possibly on a safe stretch, cannot always get back into line, or only with great difficulty, before the end of the safe length of road is reached. This may cause serious cutting in or the grave risk of head-on collisions.—
Jobs for the Older Students
YOUR correspondent R. A. Johnson, whose letter appeared in your issue dated May 15, is not alone in feeling some frustration and disappointment in his attempts to find work in the motor industry. Whilst fully realizing that most large manufacturers have ample reserves of staff in their apprentice and postgraduate schemes, on which they can draw for their technical requirements, it seems to me entirely wrong that young men who are genuinely interested in the trade and are giving a considerable amount of their spare time to improving their knowledge, should be neglected in such a way. Until obtaining employment with a local concern of motor accessory manufacturers, I had experienced many similar replies of the 'Not Wanted" category, and had reached the stage where I was seriously considering a complete change of career. Luckily, I tried just once more and succeeded.
So I say this to Mr. Johnson; do persevere in your endeavours, with the knowledge that you are not alone. From personal experience I find that the accessory. manufacturers are more wide awake to their opportunities than are the vehicle builders.
In critical times such as these we are now passing through, surely it is to the advantage of all concerned to encourage men with the will to work. I can do no better than quote the recent words of Mr. Harold Watkinson, M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, who said: "There is something wrong with a system which makes it difficult for a youth to get an apprenticeship just because he has continued his education until he is 17 or even older."
Lincoln. J. G. SPRIGGS.
Is Blood Test for Alcohol Reliable ?
BLOOD tests for drivers, suspected of being under the influence of drink, are indeed, unreliable. I would go further than yourreference to them under "Passing Comments " in the issue of The Commercial Motor dated May 8, and put it that they are to all intents and purposes, worthless. Much rubbish has been printed on this subject, and most of it of a dangerous character. Your paragraph is a useful correction, but it will stand elaborating.
Alcohol, as we are pleased to term it, is a somewhat
erratic drug. The effects upon an individual may, and do, vary according to his immediate state of physical or mental health, or both. They are likely to he accentuated if, for instance, he is suffering from either extreme fatigue or acute worry. Experienced drivers are well aware of that fact, and conduct themselves accordingly.
The effects are even more variable between
individuals, sometimes to an altogether remarkable extent. Ignoring the difference between the reactions of habitual drinkers and others, which need no discussion, here are just two interesting eases that I can recall. One man, who was otherwise normal, suffered from a disability, resulting from an injury sustained as a child, that made him peculiarly susceptible to even mildly alcoholic liquor. He was all right after two half pints of beer; the. effect of a third would be noticeable, whilst a fourth was calculated to make him unfit tá drive. The other person was reputed to consume never less than a whole bottle of whisky at his " local " every
evening. At closing time he always seemed to be normal and regularly drove home in his car without exciting any comment, let alone alarm. Suppose that these men had been subjected to blood tests. The alcohol content in the case of the first might easily have been low enough to enable him to "get away with it," although it would in fact have been unsafe to allow him to have charge of a motor vehicle. Quite certainly the whisky drinker would have been judged to have had too much, and subsequently convicted of a serious traffic offence. In his case a gross injustice would have been done; in the former, a conceivably dangerous driver would, probably get off unpunished. Any observant person of experience must know the truth of this matter., The advocates of the method under discussion may or may not be familiar with everyday human behaviour, but if so they seemingly prefer to ignore the plain facts of life and exist in a test-tube world of their own.
Banbury, Oxon. OBSERVER.