New-York tribune., 1921-10-16
Taking Things for
Granted Is Fatal
To Car Operation
Whether Expert or Anna.
,eur Driver IL Is Far
More Logical to Inspect
First Than TO Expect
Bv H. Clifford Brokaw
r,eh,,ls.l Director, Vest Side Y. "
= 4 A,ltnt,n{,tis Schools

Bv H. Clifford Brokaw
r<eA,,is4l Director, Vest Side Y. u,
c. 4. automobile Schools
or. day motorist took it for grant
"a that no train vas coming down the
.s;l-osd track he wished 20 cross. Now
i.is IN Heaven and his car bunch Of
nv az Another driver took It for grant
~ .sst he had enough oil in his ma
sS,nsrv when he started out to keep an
sr.nortant appointment. When the
bn,.r ~ MS engagement arrived his car
rss stalled twenty miles away, and he
80 : ccvercd on rtun " t pat over
bio deal. Another man thought he
- nror-h Gasoline when he started
an. 70 see his best girl. Now she is
.gt,.ec 70 another lover.
o,s Of the first rules IN autono-
,u.,c should be to take nothing for
~-anfed-uutii you have lirst iYspected
:. snd out. Inspect first, then it is a
r,ol. lot more logical 10 expect. If
"a tsllow who spent half an hour look
~ ;,r rs glasses had inspected his
,,,s ~ his own face he would have
l"'-r'3 them there and saved himself
Ia. Of trouble and time.
Taxing things for granted In the
srtsn,oti~e world Is one Of the greatest
S;scn,ties the man has to face who is
t-y;no 70 locate trouble in his car
Tsis i true whether ne IS an amateur
or an eN0eft. \ N"i'''e1 - 0A0e9 W.
prove 'n's p''"''
Alertness Is Required :.
Ever one knows better than TO crank
A.. .ncine with the switch off. yet
recently saw l'0Ig 49, ;~,i+;on ewitcS
minutes THIS way lne lsliseoH 4to i;S,S4; ST.;ca
was SCI III ro+ora 80 obsolnte
switch hane4e. - Hc-s.V1o ;;.iar 'sS sNyiecb tev
position 81 ,,,t.+ Ii,.bts r-srs m
Tsried scc0iN-''e ~ ~, g ,,ot,,..s+
-hfTee ,ae e.'I.' sre,;no befors he
looked al ote. '.. 1.o4oblv beirr
disc aver'H ne ,a.;,irs. ~ do
absent-mindea haa Sol'-7 loF- bs h; =. e4co 70 fnD
With It; he eau 90, bo,na
the day and vas o4 .bat 'tiS +bs " ihonrS+'
when demons. -on-1 ;s n,,,ch r,1o,.a
less or prsoscD 10, n+;ors t},ar,
hzeiy TO AIaNe "-'s
the aier1 ~AeH'
Recently an old eutomoollo mechaH'c
was riding on en- lnteTuroah ca w"en
the latter vas held up oy 1noUot Ca1
stalled across Inc tracks. mere was
big crowd around the machlhe Trying
frsnticeiy 70 push it out OF the waF.
For scme reason the rear wheels we're
lacked 10 amount Of effort would
lit and carry.
rba uacban;c oo. of and watched
80 D~oreeGinrs He found that the
'gesr lever was STUCK y 10" gear ana
dna ~ iamnad gears or some other
serious defect could not be answered
Nv ths owner or any OF mis- helpers.
He began to wonder where the trouhle
was, while the others struggled; but,
being old In the game. the thought
flashed across his mind. "Take nothing
for granted" Therefore, the hrst
restior TO determine was whether the
xhoia d;eculf- m;oNt not he solved hv
pushing out the clutch. This seemed
o eoaa 10 b. true. RE
hesitatei 10 suggest Il, but the more
81 thought aboQ. i the yco-e he be-
came convinced. and finally he mus
tered I'D enough courage TO slip be-
hind the wheel ard command the rest
In, crowd to push. The car giided of,
70 the astonisnment Of every one. It
developed that the owner OF the car
had become excited when he stalled the
ereine or the crossing with the lever
stuck in low. In his feverish haste he
tried to push the car off, instead Of
shoy4ug Gu, his clutch and starting the
motor. ana as the crowd collected thay
accented the locked condition Of the
rear wheels as something which could
10. be renedied.
AooAihs iof 'he frank
A mo.oris. Of ten years experiercs
bought a used car. lie took delivery Of +.
ia'e one RAINY afternoon. The former