The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-10-26

VoIvety Starts and Stops Save Money
Climbing Hill on High Speed Unnec-
essary Strain - What to Do When
Car Begins to Skid.
| When the ponies are gathering in
| on the home stretch, all other things
being equal, it is the hardest rider that
| brings his mount first under the wire.
! Just as Kentucky FLY responds
| splendidly to the rein of a skilled driv-
er, so does the thoroughbred of motors
show its mettle to the best advantage
under the tutelage of the - good form -
driver.
Half the pleasure in motoring comes
with learning to manipulate your ear
| with consummate ease and grace. Cor
rect form in driving means minimum
strain on car mechanism and incidentally
minimum drain on the pocket book
! Nelvety stops and starts prevent un-
usual strains on the motor, clutch,
| transmission, axles and tires. They al
so cut down the consumption of gasoline
and oil. A well-mado motto: like g
Swiss watch, is a sensitive thing. II
reseRts abuse but responds willingly,
capably, to gentle handling.
Starting an automobile is an art.
Simple though it may be, nevertheless
there are hordes of drivers who never
acquire it. The master driver aims TO
create a steady pull on the driving
mechanism from the moment he slips
into first speed until the car is under
full Roadway. To wit, a homelv for
mula for starting which may be taken
after the entree of gear shifting:
Learn to accelerate simultaneously
with letting in the clutch. The mechan-
| zeal act of gear shifting can be learned
| in five minutes.
As soon as you have the ear in high
speed, assume natural, comfortable
position. Avoid 4 strained high-ten-
sion grip on the wheel. Driving car
is not tiresome if one sits in an easy
upright position. The driver who
slouches in his seat must be constant
ly shifting. He cannot apply the
brakes without sitting erect. He must
change his position to shift gears.
1t is quite as essential to know how
to stop the car quickly and smoothly
as it is to know how to start it. The
operation of braking is one of the
most important in driving.
The highways are strewn with the
wrecks of cars whose drivers wor-
shipped too soon at the shrine of
Speed. When the crisis comes the
green driver is apt to forget the coun-
sells of his glib instructor aud another
accident is chalked mp to the toll of
l"I didn t know If YOU must test the
Esprit of your ear, wait until YOU are
perfectly sure of your ability to drive,
until you would be willing to be the
man in the tonneau
You have heard many an enthusiast
tic owner boast that his car would
take such and such a hill on "high. -
Doubtless it will. but at the same time
he is putting an unnecessary strain upon
his motor when he forces such a ner-
Torrance. The intermediate speed is
placed on the car to use. It is a mis-
take to allow the motor to labor
Second speed is a good accident pre-
tentative when threading the mazes
of city traffic. The car is easily held
under leash and may be stopped gently
without tanning the brakes.
Only an amateur will allow his mo-
tor to race unnecessarily. Motor racing
consumes gasoline in appalling
draughts, and is also hard on the en-
SAhC' AIttI you nave learned the A
B Cs of car manipulation, adopt the
iaccelerator instead of the throttle lev
er on the steering wheel.
The bogie that has collected more
life insurance and delegated more cars
to the scrap heap than any other de
stroyer of the genus automobile is
skidding. Chains are the best antidote.
but in their absence there are simple
rules which, if followed, may keep you
and your car from disaster.
When passing over wet pavements or
slippery roads, avoid sudden turns and
spasmodic application of the brakes.
When you feel the rear end of the ear
starting to slip, turn the front wheels
: quickly IN the same direction that the
! rear wheels are taking and the ear will
right itself. If the car starts to skid
B. on account of the sudden application
of the brakes, release power and brakes
and allow the ear to coast free. An