Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-22
PROPER FORM RARE
AMONG AUTO DRIVERS
More Than Mechanical knowledge
Necessary in Makeup of
Good Operator.
Machines individuality" Must Be
Studied if Best Results Are
to Be Obtained.

to Be Obtained.
The art of driving we'll is not the
Very simple affair some people would
have US. believe" remarked a motor car
user at recent gathering Of dutoists.
Granted that q certain state of pro-
fciency is acquired without much diff
Guilty the man who drives his own car
regularly should see TO it that his hobby
is In d state of prosression-not OF static
or rctrogression-each time lie drives,
something more should be learned with
consequent Improvement. Iicfore pro
cceding further it is as well to make clear
that these lines are not addressed to the
person who knows Cor thinks he knows
all abou, it. nor are they intended Us a
honlily or how to drive correctly-thc
writer has too many faults of his own
for that The excuse is due to the tact
that I have had the unusua! experience
recently OF being driven by others-one
in particular the best amateur driver l
ever sat beside.
Want to Feel Safe
Many who are in the habit OF dong
their own driving have rather an objec-
ton TO being driven unless they kno"
full well that the man at the wheel Is
what IS termed safe
The reason for this apprehension
IS not far to seek, for, though there are
certain elementary rules to be observed. II
1pnst be remembered that the indiNld-
uaIity and idiosyncrasics oil the dTiNeE
are very frequently made manifest mus
a procedure which appears quite sag 10
the driver may appeal III qai'e .u'ic'
RpT
"A writer has declared that the char-
acter of the driver could be diagnosed 10
some extent by his method OF using the
horn. This is perfectly true, lot aliilost
every action bctrays certain traits in
mans character which are no'eo oS
the thinking observer.
Many Different Types.
The nervous, irritable man toots Prac-
Ideally all the time The pompous gen
rleynan drives right UP 10 blocked traffic,
sounds Il long note, assisting the en-
cheney of the horn by the election OF
vocal sounds from his larynN: the ph.cs-
matte individual treasures tho horn so
much that he sounds II not at all lest
il might wear out and so on
"It Is instructive for the oWner-dfNcr
to slt in the back seat of car ana be
driven. He will; see things from an as,
poet he never thought of previously. ana
wondering over these, ne h'iH po@'ot'
discover unlocked for defects in his own
driving For example. he vii! nave
demonstrated TO him the treatment ne
netes out 20 his own passengers az
times, particularly when thahh-Nou-
-narrned road is run over with no dlm!-
mutton of speed
Necessary Qualifications.
In order to become an expert 1T the
wheel the graduate must possess certain
we'll defined physical and mental qua'ih-
cartons His senses of sight hearing,
touch and smell should be perfect, ana
he mus. have an innate sense Of decencE.
This latter Is possibly the nos; important
sense Of all. FOR without II 5000 oTlFfls
liz an absolute iupossibilitE Inc fi.:.i
who is a cad in the everyday walks OF NE
is still a cad when driving car even
though he may have acquired veneer
OF decency. this really does not count
much, for the deposit IS usually SO thlh as
to be useless-it rubs off at the siishtest
provocation and reveals what Is peio" III
all It's giarins hideousness
..In addition to the above. ROAD sense
will be acquired. knowledge OF me
chanics gained Of this did not exist pre-
IiousIy) and the powers OF observation
and deduction materially improved-ai!
these forming the harmonious whole
which constitutes the equipment OF the
good driver
Of steering. changing gear, etc. the OWN
er-drive- naturally wishes his friends TO
partake of the pleasure he derives from
his car. PresuminS that one OF those
friends is of the nervous type ana prone
to speak his mind. he will possibly do So
and tell the driver-owner just what ne
thinks There will be- as rule. much
rubbish spoken, but after careful sitting
there may be small residue OF Vaine
which should suggest how the driving
appeals to at least one passenger
Some Simple Points.
The point is that it is not sufficient to
take a carload of friends there and back
safely but that the run should be, as far
as the driver is concerned. absolutely
without incident Take gear changing,
for example How many amateurs
change gears well? Very few The fine
point IN gear changing is to do it SO that
the passengers know nothing at all about
1t. On coming TO a hill, the good driver
will know to the fraction Of a second
when to drop from fourth to third His
ear will tell him the note of the engine
when the revolutions will remain con
slant or he will know from his speed
onleter If not instinctively, the limit OF
his top gear without laborlng OF the
engine.
THE finer points III regard to messing
the gear pinions ought 10 have been
mastered before the owner pretends tc
ta..e friends out for q run The gear sys-
TEN in cars varies much. Thus. to &C
from neutral to first, the clutch may have
to be put right out; from second to third
half out; from third TO fourth a mere
touch of the clutch pedal and a qu!ch
movement OF the gear lever moves Il
into top nicely. This is actually the
course adopted on one Of the writer:
carr with success.
NO hard-and-fast rule can be laic
down for sort OF universal method o.
good gear changing. Cars and driver:
differ so much that the careful man vii
dig out for himself the method which
suits his particular car best. Bad gea
changing may De due to carelessness
loneliness for the all on top idea, foster
Cd. unfortunately, by many inanufactur
crs. or by sheer nervousness in very many
cases The driver wants to do the jol
well, and in his easerness fumbles it
proulpfness and decision are the unfail
ing dssiderata for overcoming tho trou
be"
MOTOR TRUCKS FOR MOVING.