Evening star., 1939-11-05

ations in design, with improvement
In safety from the standpoint Of
strength and durability.
While safety Influenced improve
ment Of the structure as Q whole,
however, . number Of innovations
were introduced for the sake Of
safety alone. SPECIFIC examples are
the rear-view mirror, the windshield
wiper and the stoplght.
Windshields, which were orig
inally elaborate brass-plated affairs,
optional equipment at Q fancy price,
came into universal use because 1t
was unsafe to drive q car not 30
equipped. Thereupon the manu-
facturers incorporated them into
their designs and the extra charges
disappeared from the bill Of sale.
Left-Hand Drive Safer.
To many modern drivers 1t may
come as . surprise to learn that
the earlier automobiles were driven
from the right-hand side, that
position being one Of the conven-
tions inherited from the horse-and-
buggy era. The left-hand drive was
popularized, after q controversy
lasting several years. because, sit
ting on the left, the driver found 1t
safer to pass vehicles moving In
his own direction.
Optional items Of early car equip
ment, later standardized and in
cluded in the list price for reasons
Of safety value, also included bump
ers and electric lights. The self
starter, besides saving labor and
making it possible for women to
1-ive, lad grea. advantages from
the safety standpoint, because mo-
tors often "back-fired" when cranked
by hand, sometimes injuring the
driver seriously.
Four-wheel brakes, of course, were
adopted to make driving safer.
They not only greatly reduced stop
ping distances but increased the
life Of brake lining.
Balloon tires were widely herald
ed at the time of their general ad-
vent as being safety features. They
were primarily developed for easier
riding, but they also reduced the
danger from blowouts.
Many safety features have been
subject to several stages Of i'm
provement, all Of which have been
inspired by safety considerations.
Thus the rear-view mirror acquired
a non-glare background. The wind
shield wiper acquired q power drive.
Electric lights were "dimmed" by
introducing an electrical resistance
which cut down the intensity of
the light. Later fitting redectors
were devised to redirect the light
without dimming it. Still later null
tple f1lament bulbs were developed.
Steering Geometry Improved.
With the adoption of low-pressure
tires and smaller, stronger steel
wheels, new steering geometry" was
developed to provide steadier guild
ance, easier operation and SELF
righting when coming out of turns.
Steering gears were redesigned for
less effort on the straight-away and
easier parking. Steel steering wheels
with plastic rims were evolved.
Safety glass was one of the most
sweeping innovations. When first
introduced it was 50 costly that COM
paratively few owners could be pur-
suaded to make the extra invest
ment required for equipment all
around" Safety glass windsh:elds
only were standardized at first. but
new manufacturing methods were
devised, cost reduction came into
play, and later this feature was
adopted as standard for all windows.
It Is noteworthy that this innovation
had been launched even before State
laws began to require the invaria5le
use of safety glass. +t's.
The sloping windshield, now
conspicuous feature of design, was
first given very slight tilt to re-
duce back-glare from the headlights
Of following cars, and side-glare
from lighting on intersecting streets.
The pronounced slope came after
ward as an esthetic consideration.
The all-steel body was completely
revolutionary, and one of its most
outstanding recommendations was
its protective function in the event
of crash. Cars were rolled down
hills and tossed over steep bluffs In
front Of motion-picture cameras to
prove this point.
As the automobile structure was