Evening star., 1927-10-16
TWO very bad habits are notice

@WO very bad haDtS are notlCe-
able among Washington mo-
florists. Both are exceedingly
Il dangerous and show no signs
of diminution. The habits in ques-
ton consist OF swinging about i'll
the middle of block without warm
ing of any kind. and coming suddenly
out of a parking space without frst
giving the signal dictated by ordi-
nary considerations of safety and
prescribed by the traffic code.
These slovenly practices cause
numerous accidents, and scores OF
near-collisions every day may be
ascribed directly TO such acts of
negligence. There is scarcely a car
!. who. within the last few months, has
i not had the terrifying experience of
narrowly avoiding collision which
was brought on by one or both of
these bad motoring practices.
Here is a condition which abso-
iutely demands remedy, for there are
few motoring acts which are more
likely to bring about trouble and dis
aster than these two first cousins.
The motorist who in a fash decides
that he wants to make a left turn
in the middle of block and makes
it with no regard whatsoever to the
traffic Behind him, and the driver
who comes suddenly from a parking
place into the main traffic stream.
both arc menaces on the streets and
should be treated as such by the
authorities.
Thu rlaca nh Of
ditions here in Washington cannot
have overlooked the fact that these
fragrant violations of the traffic regu-
lations have been increasing steadily,
? uptown as we'll as in the more con-
gested zones. An informal survey
reveals that the condition exists in
every section of the city, and that
nowhere can the careful motorist re-
lax his vigilance. He constantly must
be on his guard to avoid the COM
phcations created by the traffic vio-
lations i'll question.
1t is doubly important that this
situation be alleviated, because in
both instances more than one or two
motorists are likely to be involved
When the violator swings suddenly
N4h Vast TIT pCISOll HCdIC
!, must describe wide arc in order to
avoid colliding, and in doing so the
u latter often runs the risk of jamming
= those about him in the traffic stream.
sThus'the danger is aggravated con-
siderably.
Were it possible TO put stop to
these evils, it is certain that two of
the most important local traffic haz-
ards thus would be eliminated.
+ xx
4 Bodies play very conspicuous
part in the riding qualities of auto
mobiles. The chassis, usually credit
ed with the good or bad ride OBJ
tanned from an automobile, does not
.play so important a part as a great
many motorists think.
1t sometimes is remarkable how
different one model will ride as
compared with the same chassis but
equipped with another style body.
Enough variation is shown so that
conuoisseurs of car comfort already
have reached certain conclusions
with regard to the effect of body
STYLES upon riding comfort.
In general, it seems that narrow
bodies have a tendency toward an
annoying sort of side sway. There
may be some psychology TO this in
that the "slenderness" of the body
gives the occupant a feeling of being
on the edge at all times and about to
topple over. Coupes. which are
designed on the victoria order with
the drivers seat forward. are noted
for their unusual comfort. This
particularly is noticeable on the
rear seat, which usually is wide and
luxurious. This seat is placed, with
respect to the wheelbase of the car,
in about the same position as the
auxiliary seats in the seven-passen-
ger cars, which are noted for their
comfort. In a coupe of this type,
however, the drivers seat as well
as the auxiliary seat may not be
quite as comfortable as in other
models.
Since the real test of the efficiency
of the brakes is their ability TO bring
the car to standstill, no prospective
purchaser. when taking a demonstra-
tion, should be satisfied with the new
cars brakes if they merely show
ability to reduce the speed of the
car effectively. Experience dem
onstrates that while it is possible to
reduce the speed of car from 80 to
10 miles an hour, as for example in
going down hill, the inal process of
cutting the speed from 10 miles an
hour to a standstill may not be SO
satisfactory.
If a motorist keeps this in mind
when he is purchasing car, he is
likely to remember it throughout his
entire experience with that car, with
the result that he will see to it that
his brakes are in better condition at
all times. An investigation of a
number of accidents showed that
while drivers were able to reduce the
speed of their cars, they were unable
to obtain complete stop and avoid
collision.
Brakes that fail to give positive