Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-31

Y become more and more pop.
ular among Washingtonian:
have SO many thousands Of car own
crs of the National Capital taken tc
the highways of the Nation as dur
lng the current season.
Not alone is Washington a mecca
Tor motor tourists from all sections
of the country, but residents them
selves in increasing number-prob-
ably aided to some extent in their
decisions by the example set by
nomadic visitors-are making it a
point to get on the open road for a
few days, or weeks, as the case may
be. This season that trend is par
ticularly pronounced, and just now
especially so.
Perhaps Washington merely is fol-
lowing the general trend throughout
the country. And then, on the other
hand. it is possible that the National
Capital situation is somewhat differ
ent than that found anywhere else
At any rate, this is true-Washing-
ton probably is the greatest touring
center in the country at the present
time for traffic going out as well as
coming in.
Each day now additional scores of
Washingtonians are embarking upon
Summer motor cruises, and, similar
~, each day finds the roads into the
Capital City filled with cars whose
occupants are bound for the beauty
spots and historic associations of the
District of Columbia. Thus, there is
here a concentration of motor tour
ist travel very likely unequaled any
where i'll the United States. And
since 1927 has developed into the
greatest touring year on record, that
condition now is more marked than
ever before.
The growth in popularity of the
motor tour among Washington car
owners has been amazingly rapid
during the past two or three years.
Its expansion in that period has been
by more hundreds of per cent than
one would care to estimate. One
reason has been the putting into eff
feet of broad road-building programs
by neighboring States, whose high
ways heretofore had been rather
poor.
Motorists are advised to check the
efficiency of their brakes daily in the
interest of safer driving. Although
one can tell with reasonable ac-
curacy whether the brakes on the
car are in good condition by applying
them and noting the distance requir-
ed to stop the car, familiarity with
the. actual figures will assist in max
ing the brake inspection process
more sound.
The table of stopping distances
which is used in Massachusetts, and
which was prepared by the State
highway department may be Of as
sistance to the motorist in this re-
spect.
In the case of two-wheel brakes,
those in perfect" condition will stop
the car from a speed of 10 miles an
hour in 9 feet. If the brakes will
bring the car to a halt within 10
feetA they are rated as good" by the
Bay State highway authorities. At
20 miles an hour, the perfect two
wheel brakes will stop the car within
IS feet; the good" brakes within 40
feet.
For car speed of 80 miles an hour,
a stopping distance of so feet means
perfect" brakes, while those that
will stop the car within 81 feet from
such speed are good"
Perfect" four-wheel brakes will
stop the car within S feet from 10
miles an hour. Those that will
achieve the same end within 6 feet
are good" At 20 miles an hour, the
respective stopping distances for
perfect" and good" brakes are 20
and Is feet. At 80, they are 46 and
So feet.
The individual motorist does not
need an accurate decelerometer to
tell how his brakes measure I'D by
these standards. The human eve
usually makes fairly accurate meas
urements in such cases.
When automotive design makes a
sweeping advance, such as that
marked by the appearance of four
wheel brakes or high-compression
engines, all motordom sits up and
takes notice. Many smaller, but
still important strides in the general
improvement of the motor car, how
ever, escape attention.
A recent example of this is to be
found in the case of device that
permits the motor car owner to raise
the windshield without the danger
of drawing all the insects of the
countryside into the car. 1t is a
fine screen that easily may be at
tached to the windshield without
marring the front of the car in the
slightest.
Here is news also of another de-
vice that is claimed to reduce steer
ing effort almost beyond belief by
using the power of the engine to
assist the driver in turning the front
wheels. Thus far, the device is not
used on any make of car, but some
day it may be-or some Improvement
on the present product may be. Its
chief virtue probably lies in the fact
that If will make parking simpler and
less OF an energy consumer.
Many other such devices are on
the market or in the laboratory get
ting the inventors finishing touches.
They may achieve slight notice at
first. but some of them undoubtedly
will be hcralded eventually as impor-
tant contributions to motor progress
For, they have the important OBJ
jective OF making motor car opera
ton still less of all effort and still
more convenient.
Although there is some one on
duty throughout the day, the head
light testing station of the Traffic
Bureau. at 1909 T. street, is not