The Washington times., 1920-02-07


a chance TO cross the street. Motor
cars are rushing by In an unbroken
| stream. Suddenly the traffic onicor
blows his whistle. What do you hsArr
The blasts OF the whistle are drowned
In the screaming OF brakes and the
I scraping OF tires on the dry pave
ment There Is nothing unusual In
that. you say.
] Unfortunately there isn't. because
at least 30 per cent OF six million and
more automobile drivers handle their
cars that way. They drive with their
brakes. They let the safety OF their
cars rest entirely on the serviceabil-
ity Of their brakes. They do not be-
lieve there is any need OF preparing
TO stop before conditions actually re-
Quire the slamming on OF brakes.
Not so many years ago public opin-
lon declared a man "A good driver
| when he could speed up to point,
Jam on the brckos and bring the car
| TO a stop in very short distance.
| In fact, this sort OF "braking power"
was supposed to be a test as TO the
worth OF an automobile.
| This idea OF good driving stiil pre-
walls to some extent.
| In the words OF people whose tudg-
ments are generally accepted as true
by those we call sensible, good
| driver 10 one who has his car under
control at all times. He Is cautious
4 In whatever he does that he may not
endanger the safety OF pedestrians,
other motorists. or his own car.
| 1t naturally arises. then. that a
man who drives with his brakes is
not a good driver. This may seem
like a strong statement, but an analy-
sis will clear up any doubts in this
regard.
why Cars Have Brakes.
Every automobile manufacturer
realizes that II is just as important
to stop a car as IL Is to start. With
the average driver. brakes receive
more wear than any other part OF the
] car. And for this reason, engineers
pay a great deal OF attention to the
design and material in brakes.
| Most cars are equipped with two
| sets OF brakes. which operate on
drums bolted to the rear wheels.
Successful car manufacturers have
worked out the proper friction area
and the correct lining material to
insure positive action.
Because they are efficient, however.
the average driver gets into the habit
i of bringing his car TO dead stop with
them nine times out of ten. Because
| they are convenient, he subjects his
| service brakes to unnecessary wear
and abuse. If the friction surfaces
were twice the approved size, he
would want to stop in half the ordi-
nary distance.
And because his brakes are usually
dependable, he trusts them to answer
his call in rounding corners. crossing
streets, passing other cars or ap-
preaching railroad crossings. He is
simple driving the car with his
brakes.
He does not have his car under
control at all times. He imperils
| pedestrians. He tries to hold his car
| n hills wholly with his brakes. He
ruins his tires and often causes dam
| ages to many OF the working parts
| " his car. Notice the long skid
marks on the pavements, the cars in
service stations waiting for brake
Inings and cars along the curb with
broken wheels.
what Is the Answerf
Our constructive criticism is this:
secure all the assistance possible from
your motor as n brake In bringing
the car to a stop or in going down
| hill. To the common-sense driver
there is nothing startling in this ad.
vice. He has discovered for himself
that II is the safe and satisfactory
way to control a motor car. He has
found that it makes driving a real
pleasure.
1t is just as lagicaI for tho motor
| to stop a motor car as to propel 1t.
! In one cas-. with the throttle open,
| the explosive power with tho cylin-
| ders is used to drive the rear wheels;
| in other case, with the throttle closed.
| the compression offers a resistance
against the pistons which carried
through the transmission retards the
movement of the wheels.
Virtually every motorist under
stands this principle. The point is.
however. he fails to apply it in his
driving.
The driver who uses his motor in
| this manner will call on his brakes
less than one quarter as often as the
| driver who depends on his brakes en-
! tirely. He will drive easier and skid
| less.
The correct way to use the motor as
brake Is first to place the hand
throttle in position so that the
motor turns over slowly. Then use
the accelerstor for driving. II you
are going down a grade, merely take
your foot off the accelerator, and the
motor set at safe speed will hold
the car back. II you see that the
grade is likely to be very steep, SHIFT
| to second or first speed as the grade
may require before starting down.
Never throw the clutch out when
actually driving down hill. To do
| so may mean absolute loss of control.
Neither is IT advisable to shut Oft
| the spark completely, as IL Is better
to have the engine running so as to
have power available In case Of
emergency.
Take Things Easy, Hest Plan.
In city driving, take things easy.
Do not drive fast between blocks and
jam the brakes on hard at the cor
ners. You gain very little time. Let
the motor slow the car down gradu-
ally and smoothly before applying
the brakes, and, then, do not put more
pressure on the brakes than is neces-
| sary to stop at the proper point.
There Is positively no sense, except
in rare cases, in locking the brakes
so tightly rs to slide the rear tires on
| dry pavement.
Consider, for instance, the engineer
on any of our fast passenger trains.
n r. l, ali 10