Evening star., 1936-09-12
Drivers
Continued From Page B-1.)


these noises suddenly are heard is
recorded by an ultra-sensitive elec-
trio needle on a dial. incidentally,
1t is interesting to note that when
a man is taking this examination and
an attractive girl passes by the needle
performs strange antics.
i By all means congratulate yourself
| If, when this test is over, you flnd
you've suffered no more than 2 per
cent change in normal emotional ac-
| tivity, for your nerves are in well-nigh
perfect shape. Average persons un-
dergo a z per cent change, while
highly nervous folks deviate as much
as Is per cent, and at times reach 18
per cent or even greater. OF course
the higher the per cent change the
more excitable you are. Extreme
changes point to the approach of a
nervous breakdown.
OF particular interest in the eye
sight tests is the one dealing with
"eye dominance" Few people realize
it, but with most of us one eye Is
stronger than the other. In case of
severe fatigue, resulting from driving
your car long distance without a
single stop, the weaker eye becomes
virtually useless, and the stranger, or
dominant" eye, carries almost the
entire burden Of sight. This does not
necessarily mean that the weaker eye
does not serve you well when you're
feeling normally fresh and strong. 1t
simply means that it ceases to func-
ton properly under the added strain
of operating an automobile for an
unusual length Of time.
Eye dominance, or the lack Of it, is
determined by having the test driver
look at an object through cone
shaped device so designed that only
one eye can focus on it. Experts ad-
wise persons afflicted with eye domi-
nance never to operate a motor We
hicle when feeling tired. In more
extreme cases the purchase of a cor
rective lens is urged for the weaker
eye.
THE field of vision" test Is pre-
cisely accurate in revealing how
far you can see to the right and left
while looking straight ahead.
BY repeated experiments it has been
learned that the average person can
| see on a 180-degree horizontal line.
In other words, If line were placed
across his eyes from right to left (or
vice versa), he would be able to dis
| tinguish all obstacles in front of that
line on both sides. Persons whose
field of vision Is less than 160 degrees
are warned to be very careful about
observing objects approaching on
either side of the highway.
The actual test is conducted by
placing your forehead in a certain
fixed position and gazing at a small
mirror directly in front of you at a
distance of about Is inches. The at
tendant then moves two small objects
along a stationary platform. one on
each side, until they come into your
range OF vision. A straight line be-
tween the two objects designates the
angle Of field Of vision. As mentioned
earlier, this usually is a straight line
180 degrees).
The activity test Is Of outstanding
| interest and Importance, for it tells
you off-hand just how fast you are
capable of performing a physical
maneuver, and how tired you become
during the process. You're supposed
to tap telegraph key as fast as pos
sible for five periods of 10 seconds
each. Practically no rest is allowed
between the test periods, since en-
durance plays an important part in
the experiment.
The five periods are averaged at
the close of the examination; 10 taps
per second being considered excel
lent; 72 average. and IS, poor. Usual
ly the motorist shows marked ten
dency toward slowing down on his
| taps during each successive trial, due
! to increasing fatigue
OF course, every one knows that
good hearing is essential to safe driv-
ing. But here's a fact that may sur
prise you: According to A. A. A.
tests, a large proportion of the motor
ing public has impaired hearing to
some extent without being aware of
it. The hear" test definitely estab-
fishes the loss Of hearing Gf any of
the driver and designates the exact
amount in either or both ears.
Held to your ear is a receiver that
emits a whining sound whose volume
is decreased until you can no longer
hear it-whereupon you press a but
ton which informs the operator that
the sound no longer is audible. This
procedure is repeated three times for
each ear and the results are then
tabulated. A loss for each ear of so
points las registered by the machine)
indicates excellent hearing. The
higher the point loss, the greater the
impaired hearing. Sixty points is
average, 70 is poor and 80 or more
means that the person definitely is
hard of hearing. The value of this
test scarcely can be exaggerated, A.
A. A. officials assert.
In The blood pressure test, a rub
berized bag is wrapped around the
| left arm, inflated with air and then
connected with a delicate instrument
which registers the heartbeats on a
dial tthis is far more efficient than
the stethoscope). While the air
pressure Is being released the ma
chine records the speed and intensity
of the heartbeats. II the count at
the emo of two tests shows 140, your
heart Is in healthy shape. A count
OF ITO Is average, but $50 is alarming
and you should visit your physician
Immediately.
pROBABLY more men and women
fall down on the distance judg-
ment examination than in any of the
others, according to A. A. A. experts
This checks up on your ability to
place two objects side by side from a
distance OF 20 feet away.
The objects are two black poles
which slide opposite each other on
parallel runways. After they have