How To Drive A Motorcar
A Key To The Subtleties Of Motoring

HOW TO DRIVE A MOTORCAR conclusion was come to that, on whomsoever lay the fault, an accident could in no conceivable way have been avoided except by the employment of a complete skid. -For the sake of an example, we will pick out the case where the fault could be said to rest more or less equally with the writer and the other driver. One night, then, returning very late from the office and in a hurry to get home, and anticipating no cross- traffic, a corner was being taken at a speed which was perhaps rather in excess of what one should do, even at an hour when practically no traffic was about. When well up to this corner, a huge mail van appeared, apparently acting under similar ideas, though as it was coming from a side street and crossing the writer's car, which was on the main road—well, the question of blame is not material to the situation. The fact remains that it was a situation in which it would have been absoluteJy impossible to avoid a collision in any other way than that adopted. Neither car could have stopped sufficiently to have allowed the other to pass, and the only possible solution was to turn the car completely round in the hope that the time so taken up before continuing in the same direction, though backwards, would be sufficient to enable the mail van to cross out of the way. Luckily the driver of the van did the only thing which he could do, and swerved as far as was possible to the left. The writer put the front wheels sharp to full look, jammed on the foot brake with the clutch in, the car becoming stationary for a moment whilst the back swung round and faced in the opposite direction, and then, of course, continued on its way, being steered to the near side of the road away from the van. By a combination of luck and skill no damage whatsoever occurred to either car, and all that remained was to turn round again and to continue, giving a little more regard, however, for cross traffic—however improbable—at the other cross- roads. The manœuvre executed may be gathered from the illustration given. In some cross-road encounters of this nature it is possible to swerve behind the other 114