New-York tribune., 1920-05-23

quickly and apply the brake, but the
car does not stop. The rear end slews
around and hits the curb or another
vehicle, or the car goes straight on
and drifts into trolley, automobile or
pedestrian You should treat car on
wet pavement the same as you treat
yourself on ice, as though always ex-
pecting your feet to 60 out from under
you.
Front wheel skids come chiefly from
rounding a corner or curve at so high
a. speed that the front wheels lose
their traction. To overcome it apply
the brake gently, which will drag the
rear wheels and give the front wheels
a chance to take hold.
Another cause Of skidding, which
comes chiefly in the country, is due to
crowned road, or one which is freshly
oiled. The novice will find a crowned
road-that is, one which is higher in
the center than at the sides-is often
dangerous when wet. A road which is
much travelled accumulates quite bit
of oil, and water added makes it a
mighty slippery proposition. One is
likely to take a sudden slide into the
ditch.
1t is all right when you are driving
in the middle of the road, but when
you have to turn out for another We
hicle it is hard to keep from tobog
gaming down the slope into the ditch.
The oiled road, where it is nice and
greasy, or where there has been
shower, will be worse than ice, and,
# you see a warning "Newly Oiled
Road" you would better believe in
signs.
Anti-skid chains are necessary when
travelling on roads such as 1 have de-
scrlbed. Their use is not imperative
on the front wheels ordinarily, al
though many careful drivers apply
them there. Chains are the surest r
safeguard against skiddng.
When skid occurs, turn the front
wheels in the direction of the skid,
release the clutch and apply the brake
gently when the wheels seem to take
brake too harshly or you will increase
the skid action. e.
Some cars have very decided ten
dency to skid. There are various rea-
sons, and it would be a pretty good
idea when buying a car to find out lust
how easily it does skid Many times.
however. this tendency may be traced
to an adjustment of the brakes. The
necessity for an even adjustment is
that IT one wheel is turning and the
other dragging it does not require
much to produce a skid.
-, Skiddlng often may be prevented by
tthrotthng down the engine and apply
ing the brake while the clutch is still
engaged. This will prevent the rear
wheels from locking. 1t is a pecuii-
arity Of traction that revolving wheels
are less likely to skid than where thew
are locked and sliding over the pave
ment. But when you try this method
be very sure that when the brake is
applied you do not twist the steering
wheel.
The novice would do we'll to test this
method on wet pavement where there
IS no traffic. Make the skid as d.
rected earlier in this article, but at a
very moderate pace, and then try to
correct 60 it By this method, but don't
blame me If you have a smash, for it
probably would be because YOU were
going too fast.
When one sees the large number of
disabled cars along the curb on a wet
day, and even along the country high
ways, with their wheels smashed. an
axle broken, car overturned and pos
sibly sons one killed or injured, # Is
evident that more than ordinary eau
ton should be exercised by the driver
especially the novice. He should mas
ter the skid; that is, he should under
stand Its causes and ways to prevent
1t and how to counteract the DANCER
when 1t comes unawares.