Evening star., 1923-07-22
LEARN DRIVING ART,
ADVISES BUICK HEAD
Says Expert Speeder Safer
Than Careful Man Who
Don't Know How.

Much is said about how easy it is
to drive a motor car, but very little Is
said about the real art of driving.
Perhaps the tendency has been to
talk too much about simple control,
natural steering and easy shifting OF
gears, and not to lay enough EN-
phasis upon the fact that 1T Is one
thing to be able to drive motor car
and another to be able to drive ef-
fciently. says L. T. Strong. general
sales manager. Buick Motor Com
pany.
Suppose that you We're to ask one
hundred average motorists this queS-
ton: Are you good driver? with
out hesitation, each would say, ABB
Solutely," And yet, If you We're to eX-
anime that one hundred in the fine
POINTS of driving, not more than two
or three would deserve to be qualified
as expert drivers. Not more than that
number could show by their driving
that they were getting out OF their
cars all that manufacturers were
putting into them. And most of them
would demonstrate that they We're
either abusing some particular lea
ture or neglecting to use some other
part that the manufacturer had de-
veloped for definite purpose. EX-
cept for acquiring certain ease,
which comes with practice in any
thing. most motorists are but little
better off as drivers than they were
when they started
Where Art begins.
AS we said, perhaps it is the man
ufacturer's fault. 1t is possible that
we have made our cars so simple to
operate that the average driver does
not think there is anything more to
driving than to steer TO shift gears,
to use the accelerator and to get In
and out ri" tight places.
But the .:uth is that as soon as one
has mastered these fundamentals. the
act of mere driving ends and the art
OF driving begins. And one can ad-
vance as far as one wishes in the art
of driving.
Driving is a science, just as farm
ing, running a store, or cooking is
science. One can manage to get along
pleasantly safely and in a matter-of
course way without giving ii a great
deal of thought. But the man or
woman who gains the most in COM
fort. convenience and economy, is the
one who is constantly endeavoring
to improve his or her driving.
The good motoriSt is always looking
for new methods that he can apply
to his own driving. He learns how to
drive with safety over strange roads.
how best to make both right and left
turns in the country as we'll as in the
how to start and stop on grades, how
to approach strange or dangerous
crossroads or railroad crossings, how
to drive over the tops of hills, how to
negotiate sand and mud, how safely
to pass vehicles going in the same
direction and how to meet those ap-
preaching him. These are but a few
of the things which driver can do
In the common way or the expert way.
Ways of Expert.
II he does them in the expert way.
he is an efficient driver. Not only is
he getting the most out of his car,
but he is being the easiest on his car.
And at the same time, he is driving
safely and not endangering his life
and the lives of his passengers. as
we'll as the lives of other motorists
and pedestrians.
With motor cars increasing in num-
berS so rapidly, the need for efficient
driving, universally, is really great.
The man who is inefficient in his drtv
ing is far greater liability to his
community than the efficient driver
who speeds
Since the days when fifteen miles
an hour was the top speed of Il motor
car, most of us have connected fast
driving with danger. We see a car
hurI ying down the street at more
than the usual rate and we say that
the driver is careless. If brought into
court. he would no doubt be branded
as reckless.
AS matter of fact, the fast driver
may be a lot safer at large than the
inefficient driver who creeps along at
a snail'S pace.
Failed in Practice.
Just recently a famous race driver
was seriously injured in turning out
to pass Il wagon on country road.
He had driven in hundreds of races
Il
miShap. Yet. in driving along Il coun-
try road at moderate speed. his eff
ficiency as driver was not displayed,
and an avoidable accident resulted.
He simply failed to practice the things
cars.
AS another illustration. we know
of an experienced motorist who had
occasion to make a trip of about 140
miles with two different drivers. The