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

THE CLUTCH PEDAL second, which can make such a difference when travel- ing at speed between having an accident and just missing it. It is a fairly reasonable limit of time after many careful tests—to state that when one has the left leg in a position of rest, some three or four-fifths of a second elapse from the time when the mind has become aware of the fact that it is necessary to de- clutch, before the foot is actually on the clutch pedal. Now, that minute portion of time is equivalent at 20 miles an hour to some 6 yds. or 7 yds., and the extra amount of momentum gathered in running that dis- tance with the power of the engine still being passed on to the car compared with having declutched so many yards sooner is quite an important factor, when it is a case of missing an accident by a very narrow margin. When one thinks how often an incident in driving is only prevented from being an accident by a matter of a foot or even inches, the intrinsic value of these odd fifths of a second is readily seen to be very much greater than their apparent or superficial value. The idea is put forward, therefore—admittedly as no more than a suggestion—that the reader should en- deavour to cultivate this method of training himself to be quite comfortable with the left foot resting directly on the clutch pedal for the greater part of his driving. When touring in the counti’y a little rest or change is required (the spot of greatest safety can always by chosen), but for town work and villages, and where cross-roads are continually being negotiated, the writer invariably has his foot directly on the clutch pedal waiting there to make the necessary movement without the loss of those valuable odd fifths of a second, and never after the first month or two of train- ing has he experienced the slightest trouble or fatigue in so doing. To qualify this statement in order to make it precise in view of actual facts, it is, of course, necessary that the position of the clutch pedal and the seat relative to the driver’s stature is more or less correct. If the seat- ing room is very cramped, then, of course, it must prove tiring, but for those who habitually drive but one 73