Evening star., 1935-06-09

IlCdl -Clld IOllAoiOlLo w HAc'S
that having all the brakes does not
always mean getting all the breaks.
In an Eastern city the police force
has the usual trouble getting pedes-
trians to observe traffic signals. One
officer, apparently despairing Of OBJ
tanning cooperation. has reSorted to a
little levity that Is said to be getting
more results than anticipated. Seeing
a woman walking against the lights
and lodging her way through moving
cars he slyly remarks, Go ahead,
lady. They won't hurt you"
Washing an accumulation OF mud
from the wheels of her car helped
one motoriSt check front wheel
shimmy that could not be remedied
by the usual methods. The dried mud
had sufficient weight to throw the
wheels out of balance at higher speeds.
1t is an interesting commentary on
the intelligence Of humanity to record
that more than half the automobile
accidents are caused by drivers trying
to violate natural laws. These laws
always are enforced. regardless OF po-
lice efficiency, but drivers persist IN
assuming that they can indulge IN
violations and get away with 1t.
II the car is driven so fast that II
doesn't fit into the traffic picture
something is bound to happen. yet 81
per cent of the accidents can be traced
to exactly this notion that natural
law can be broken without penalty.
When a car is driven off the road only
in very rare instances can 1t escape
damage. yet II per cent OF the acci-
dents are caused by drivers trying 10
get by with violations OF the natural
law that car wheels must have some
thing to roll over.
Two bodies cannot occupy the same
space at the same time. That seems
to be too obvious for repetition, yet
every wear an army of drivers dare
to question this law Of physics and
common sense. Not having the right
of way accounts for u per cent of
the accidents.
It doesn't require much time to have
the headlights checked up, yet little
attention to this feature of the car
usually makes for much safer and
better night driving. I am not re-
ferring to the usual business OF putting
the lights in focus. That is obviously
necessary, but I am thinking more OF
the way headlight bulbs lose their
brightness and of how reflectors be-
come dull. In six months time
pair of lamps may lose as much as 25
per cent of their efficiency. After
several years of service you can
imagine why most cars give their
owners such a poor chance of seeing
where they're going. Yet the usual
plan is to wait until lamps burn out
before replacing them. doing the Job
in hurry on the road when there is
no opportunity to brighten the re-
flectors.
If you used a bargain heater for
the car last Winter better have your
service man look over the thermostat !
to see If it is still working properly. |
Much overheating in hot weather can |,
be traced directly to check thermo- |
stats that fail to open fully as the !
temperature of the cooling system /
rises. Finding such defective unit |
better discard it and wait until next |
Fall to install a new and better one. !
Grilles are, In reality, false fronts. !
They are for effect mainly, although |
they do provide a little protection for |
the radiator core against flying stones. |
About the best way to clean them is |
to have time and patience enough to |
poke the end of a clean cloth into |
each opening. Before doing the job. |
however, have your service man blow |
dirt from the radiator core itself He |
can do this by applying compressed |
air from the tire hose directly to the
inside of the core.
This weeks safety suggestion |
touches on the importance of replac
ing headlight bulbs occasionally even |
though they appear to be still useful. |
Worn bulbs give diffused, weakened |
illumination and rob the driver of |
her right to the best possible view of |
the road at night.