Evening Star Newspaper, June 15, 1930, Page 65

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JUNE 15, In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. SUMMARY of State motor'by the parked machine. The vehicle regulations just|States in which parking on the prepared for the Americanlhnghways is allowed are Georgia, 4 Automobile Association by |Mississippi, New Jersey, North the Albert Russell Erskine Bureau | Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylva- for Street Traffic Research, at|nia, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Harvard University, reveals just how far from that ideal situation of uniform traffic regulations| Both State laws and municipal throughout the Nation this coun- | grdinances are pretty well in ac- try still is, despite the ballyhoo|cord in the two principal causes that has been given this worthy|of accidents involving street cars| project by the National Confer-|and automobiles. Only five States | ence on Street and Highway Safe- | allow passing of street cars by ty and its affiliated organizations . motor vehicles on the left side, a throughout the past several years. | practice that has been condemned Passing Street Cars. 1930—PART FOUR. RUN OUT T© THE CAR, LIKE A GOOD. BOY, AND SEE IF PAPA y FRANK BECK TURNED ON “LET HITCH-HIK BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser. The matter of hitch-hiking in con- | nection with the automobile situation is considered in some sectiops of the country so much of a liability that |1aws are being passed to prohibit such a practice. In spite of the general con- | sensus that hitch-hikers are more or less of & nuisance to the motoring pub- ERS HIKE," - URGED AS DRIVER'S SLOGAN Annoyance, Inconvenience and Danger of Picking Up Some One Are Cited as RC asons. hikers. One of the most numerous § composed of college students, who fin | hitch-hiking an exciting and cheap way to get to see their mflew teams par. | ticipate in various athletic events, es- pecially foot ball games in the Fall. It is one method which some of them use to go to their homes on vacations and is a favorite sport with many when they are undertaking to see the coun (try during the Summer months. Admittedly the cities will be the in practically every city in the hardest to bring into line on uni- | lic, people who set out to travel by this | form traffic regulations, and a great deal of the effort of the conference has not been so di- rected at the cities as at the States. But the wide divergence in the regulations governing mo- tor travel in the States, as re- ported by the Erskine bureau, shows what a job is still ahead of the foremost traffic experts of the country. Speed Most Important. The matter of maximum speed regulation is the most important in the view of the sponsors of the survey. Speed limits among the 48 States and the District of Co- lumbia range from 20 miles an hour in Massachusetts to 50 miles an hour in Nevada, with many States waiving any specified limit on speed and setting the maxi- mum at a speed deemed “reason- able and proper” for the territory traversed. Eleven States are only five miles below Nevada, which has the highest speed limit. They are Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio allowing cars in the open districts to make as high as 45 miles an hour. In eight States the motorists are allowed to make as much as 40 miles an hour on the open road. | They are: California, Georgia, | Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsyl- vania, South Dakota and Wash- ington. | The “reasonable and proper” | speed limitation, which is gener- ally interpreted to put no limit on the speed which may be made safely upon an open road, is in force in 11 States. They are: Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Mon- | tana, Tennessee, Vermont, Wis- consin and Wyoming. In the 38-miles-an-hour class| Ari-| come the following States: gona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island and West Virginia. Only four States have 30-mile maximum speed stipulations, among them the District of Co- lumbia, Mississippi, New York and Utah. Missouri, which has within the past year passed a great bond is- sue and is building one of the widest systems of State highways, is the only State with a 25-miles- an-hour speed limit, with Massa- chusetts also alone in the 20- miles-an-hour-limit class. Regulations Widely Divided. Not more than 11 States are in any one class, it can be seen, in the matter of maximum-speed regulation. The other State speed regulations, which include those for city suburban, city and down- town districts, drawn up from the various municipal regulations throughout the States and aver- aged, are even more widely di- vided. From 12 miles an hour to 35 range the residence district speed limits, with the majority of States clustered around the 20-25 mile limit. Here again Massachusetts’ law reveals a dislike for speed, it being the only State in the Union to bring the residence district limit as low as 12 miles an hour. Ohio puts the highest limit on residence district traffic speed, be- ing the only State allowing as much as 35 miles an hour in the thickly populated districts. In the matter of license require- ments there is also much to be desired in the way of uniformity throughout the States. Automobile operators’ licenses are required in 20 States and the District of Columbia. The rest of the States do not require any license to operate motor vehicles. Maryland is the only State that ¥oes so far as to require that a| icense be taken out in that State by non-residents driving their own cars, although this ruling is not applicable to motorists pass- ing through the State from other States and the District of Colum- bia. Maryland also demands a license to drive from those who drive other than their own cars. ‘The other States are Massachu- setts, New York, Rhode Island and Maine. Of these Maine and Mary- land do not allow any reciprocal privileges to other States. Differ on Age Limits. Age limits for motor vehicle drivers present another wide dif- ference of opinion between the States, the limit in one State be- ing as low as 12 years of age and in another as high as 18 years of age. Arizona stipulates that a person must be 18 years of age or over to drive a motor vehicle with- in the State boundaries, while South Carolina has confidence that a 12-year-old boy or girl can drive a car properly, and, further, | requires no license. ‘The average of the States in the matter of age is between 14 and 16, with the majority of States insisting that persons be 16 years of age or over before they can be permitted to drive a motor vehicle In the matter of passing vehi- wlas on curves or hills, the States are pretty well in accord, but six of them are yet to be brought into line on the matter of prohibiting these dangerous practices. Pass- ing on curves and hills is still per- coungry. | Not a single State allows the motorist to pass a street car while it is loading or discharging pas- sengers where there is no safety zone. There are some local ordi- nances, according to the survey, which allow this practice in spe- cial cases, but it is almost unani- mously regarded by lawmakers as a highly prolific source of acci- dents, and has been frowned upon. Few States do not require the operator of a motor vehicle to use hand signals in driving. The count on_this score is 41 States and the District of Columbia in favor of hand signals and the re- maining 7 against. There is a wide difference of opinion throughout the States, however, on the matter of dim- ming headlights when approach- ing a car coming from the op- posite direction at night. Twenty- nine States and the District of Columbia do not deem it neces- sary for the dimmer to be used at night, with State laws making | it a misdemeanor not to dim lights |in the other 19 States. | Spotlights Regulated. ! Spotlights are permitted in prac- tically all States; but must conform to rigid regulations in most of ithem. The States also are pretty | well agreed that the use of sirens |or other signal devices designed after those used by police and fire departments are dangerous and unnecessary on privately owned motor vehicles and are banned. In a very important phase of motor vehicle regulation, how- ever, there is a sad lack of uni- formity with respect to procedure after accidents. A great many States demand no reports of motor mishaps even when personal injury is involved. The cities are almost entirely in accord on this, demanding a full report of an accident involving a personal injury or a death as the first action to be taken following the accident, but the State laws, it is shown by the survey, are notably lax in this respect. The drawing together of the States on this matter of uniform traffic regulations and the sub- | sequent lining up of the cities is | & Job started several years ago by President Hoover, when he was Secretary of Commerce, and a great deal already has been ac- complished, but there remains for the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety a vast |amount of work before the best plans of the best traffic experts in the country can be applied in the hamlet as well as the metropolis. RO O ST |ATTENTION TO FRONT WHEELS IS ADVISED Proper Alignment Promotes Safety, Economy and Ease of Operation, Dealer Points Out. | “For the sake of safety, economy and | ease of operation, be sure that the car's | front wheels are kept properly aligned.” | This advice is given to motorists by Oscar Coolican, local auto distributor, | who points out that while proper main- tenance of the front wheels of the automobile is most important it is largely overlooked by the average owner. “Fallure to see to it that the front wheels are operating precisely as they should is proving costly to many motor- ists,” Mr. Coolican says. “Not only does the owner lose by it in actual cash, through the greater wear on tires, but he loses easy operation, the best type of steering. and, further, as a result of a combination of the two latter factors, he reduces the arge element of safety which the manufacturer has built into the car. “Rarely does the motorist order the maintenance department to check up g MILADY’S MOTORING BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL ‘The meacure of success in handling & | car is skill in shifting from low to high | with your driving habits rather than | with the gears. | Motordom is just beginning to dis- | cover that the rear seat driver was more useful than she was given credit for being. You see this demonstrated by the increasing number of contriv- ances now being offered for adjusting | the rear window shade to cut out rear- view glare in night driving. Before woman moved forward to take the wheel the driver had but to rely on verbal orders to obtain very efficient curtain service. Now she must reach up to operate & control cord or touch a butten to have the shade operated by engine vacuum. In the old days the master of cere- monies used to step out to oversee, in person, the process of purchasing gas. He wanted to be sure that he got good measure although he may have covered up his investigation by passing the time of day with the attendant at the filing station. Today woman is at the wheel in an Increasing number of cases and she is justified in not bothering to get out when fueling the car. She can check the whole process by watching the gauge on the instrument board. After the car has been washed, watch your brakes. If the machine is of the older type with exposed brakes the wetting of the linings is likely to make the brakes temporarily inefficient. With the mewer type inclosed brakes the washing may have the same effect as a damp day and cause them to grab. ‘There was a time when furniture pol- ishes were useful in reviving the finich of the automobile, but lacquer changed the picture. Such ofly polish simply becomes a dust catcher on the modern car and will not remove what is known as traffic film. Also it is bad for chro- mium-plated parts. Caring for automobiles is becoming easier, in my opinion, but more spe- cialized. One of the new rules is to avoid picking up any old bottle of household polish with the idea that it is good enough for the car. A woman who suffered the unpleas- ant experience of upsetting her car ex- plained that she had reduced tire pres- sure in order to combat the risk of slippery streets. She explained that she had read somewhere that partly de- flated tires would give better traction. The trouble, of course, was her mis- take in reducing pressures in the front tires. This brought on a shimmy, fol- lowed by loss of control of the car. The rear tires, with a rear drive car, are the chief factors in traction There is some difference of opinion as to whether partial deflation helps to prevent skidding. I personally find that a well-inflated tire does not give maximum traction. T mention the mat- ter here, however, o stress the impor- tance of ‘avolding overdoing any rule, no matter what it may be. New York taxi drivers fear the slight- ly wet street more than any other type of driving condition. A light rain or on front wheel alignment, and in most cases when faulty alignment is dis- | covered it is through the service man's own initiative. | | “Here is an element of car main- tenance that has a threefold import- ance to the owner, and to overlook it is obviously poor policy. Especially 5o | | when the trouble ucually can eliminated with but little loss of time and at but slight cost “The careful motorist will insist on | regular inspection and servicing of his | front wheel equipment It is announced by the Wallace Mo- | tor Co., Nash distributors, that they lliams & Baker, Inc., as new dealers for Nash automobiles in the District. Sales, ser’ jce and general offices will be main- tained at the showrooms, 1507 Four- teenth street. Both Baker and Willlams | are well known to the Washington pub- lic as having been connected here in | the automobile business for some time. | It is announced by the Oakland Mo-! tor Car Co. that it has appointed W.| R. Huber as manager of its Washing- ton, D. C.. zone office. Huber will take complete charge of Washington and the surrounding territory, effective immedi- ately N. D. Hawkins, Jr. president of Haw- kins Motors, Inc., announces that Hugh R. Thomas, well known in Washington automotive circles, now has connected with his firm. Thomas will occupy the | position of sales manager. R. Bruce Livie, Washington branch manager for the Peerless Motor Co., an- nounces that W. D. Osgood is now sales manager for this company. Osgood, | choking as flooding the cylinders of the drizzle makes slime of the street dirt and greatly increases the possibility of skidding. Keep this in mind the next | time it is just raining enough to sug- | gest that driving won't be so bad. | A woman writes: “I have heard some experienced drivers speak of excessive choking as flooding the carburetor. Others say ‘flooding the engine.” Which is cor ‘To & certain extent, both. But if one wants to learn more about the automo- bile it is more sensible to view excessive engine. Naturally when there is too much raw fuel sucked up into the in- take during the cranking process this runs back into the carburetor and over- flows. But that isn't so important. The thing thai prevents the engine from | starting under such circumstances is the fact that the excessive amount of | raw gasoline in the cylinders makes the | mixture too rich for firing The situation is changing by reason of the use of downdraft carburetion on | a number of cars. In this system gas | vapor is drawn down from the carbure- | Yapor = Crevh cowhn from the carbure- —feal O{J’T;krl bl ‘ N . Victorious! For over three vears we have successfully served the motor- ists of Washington with gas, THE PARKIN' /’/l’// iy i / / 7 7, 77 4 | 7 7, 7/ | method continue to have considerable | from | success in securing free rides | tender-hearted drivers of automobiles. Not long ago the papers were ca | ing stories of two young men who con- fessed that they had beaten and robbed | two woman motorists near a city in | Kansas. They were hitch-hikers. They | were picked up by two women who | were willing to give them a “lift.” One | of the men told the police that the women became nervous as night fell | and started to return to the nearest |clty. Tt was at this time that he is said to have struck one of the women in the face, drawing blood. The two women were then put in the back of the car, according to the report, while the two men occupled the front. The | women screamed, so the arrested men related, and finally the car was driven into a fleld, where the victims were | dragged from the car. Parts of their clothing were said to have been torn | off to secure strips of cloth for tying them up. To prevent the women from screaming they had been slashed with razor blades. The two men drove away with the car and were later arrested. While this Is admitted to be a very extreme case 1o illustrate the folly of picking up hitch-hikers, there ~are many other forms of which such motorists have experienced eling along almost any highway are constantly being annoyed by people who tions indicating their desire for a free | closed and the choke button pushed | back to the dash | switch on. Leave the ignition ‘The action is such as to | clear the cylinders of the excessively rich mixture, and crank again. tor_instead of up as in the conven- tional arrangement. When there is too much choking with this newer type the result is almost entirely a maiter of flooding the engine rather than flooding the carburetor, as one can readily see. all the way out. i | If the engine® has been flooded in| cranking (you can tell this by the sight of gasoline dripping to the garage floor under the carburetor) the best thing to do is to crank a little with the throttle After this open the throttle a little If the engine doesn't start, choke an instant with the button Sometimes if you just have a little patience the engine will THS often is illustrated in cases where there have Been too much choking. And it sometimes is useful where the vacuum tank has gone dry temporarily. tle time must be allowed for the gas to go through the thence to the carburetor float chamber. (Copyright. 1930.) co-operate. A lit- lower tank and AUTO OUTPUT RECORD 6,205,352 Vehicles, tion in Year, Is Estimate. ‘The 2 the |of production, producing 2 per cent. About 90 per cent of the country’s taxes are paid by owners of automobiles, World Produe- England, | ride. This business is more than a | perhaps more o | ting inconvenience | {i As the situation s, the motorists trav-| stand by the road or in it making mo- | Another group are those knights of the rond who, when they traveled by the side-door Pullman method, were known -as tramps and hoboes. Now that the automobile is available, they are often able to ride in the luxurious setting of a limousine, which is much better than the bleak interlor of » freight car. Members of such groups are to be found in numbers more or less related to the seasons. They will be found in a southerly direction in the Fall months and in a northerly di- rection in the Spring, being like the birds of the air in this respect. In the Fall large numbers are found going from their Summer jobs to their Winter haunts in various urban centers, and in the Spring these will be found, like certain animals coming out of their hibernation, to venture forth from the cities into_the open country again, During Saturdays, Sundays and holi- days the persistence of hitch-hikers is noticeable. Thousands and thousands if persons, mostly young people, are going forth and coming back on week end trips. Many of these groups are supposed to be hiking groups, but after walking so far they become depressed at the physical en- ergy required and their slowless In get- along. This leads to the tempta- 0 seek free rides. A slogan, “Let the hiker hike,” has been suggested as being appropriate for motorists to adopt during their week end outings. At any rate, in the in- terests of the enjoyment of automobile drivers and In the interest of the safety of human beings generally, it is safe to | nuisance; it s at the same time a dan- | say that there is at lease too much of | gerous activity | hikers and the motorists. Many of those wishing to be taken Into suto- | mobiles expose themselves to no small danger of being hit. fails to heed them, he is_frequently 70 automobile manufacturers in | gwarded with some of the cholcest bits 16 automobile-producing countries of the world last year produced a new world record of 6,295,352 vehicles, which 89 per cent came from the United | iy States and Canada, according to figures | (here. is of the American Motorists’ Association, i The other producing countries, in order are France, Germany and Italy, together producing | 9 per cent, the remaining 10 countries of profanity imaginable. While most of the hitch-hikers are ©f | young men who are out for fun, which | in itself perfectly commendable, no way that a motorist can | distinguish between such a person and |one that might have more evil inten- tions. Of course, if a motorist rec- ognizes some one asking for a ride who for both the hitch-| slicitation of motorists by people de- siring free rides. Doubtless this practice can never be entirely eliminated, but it seems reasonable to hope that it may If & motorist | he reduced somewhat to the benefit of all concerned. Mr. Brokaw will be glad to write on any subject pertaining to the automo- bile that a reader may request. Education’s Costs. From the Wheel. “Since you gave your son a car has is an acquaintance, this is an entirely | he kept his promise to do more studying different matter, for nobody could ob- | at college?” ject to an automobile owner picking up his friends and giving them a ride. There are various classes of hitch- “I'm certain of it, because he writes home much oftener now for money for books. DODGE BROTHERS SIX 83 ACNED URSRE, Q. FACTORY SAFETY, COMFORT, PLEASURE FOR THE FAMILY Ability to understand and supply the motoring needs of the American famfly has been the backbone of Dodge Brothers success over a period of 15 years. » » All the experience thus accumulated has been put into this latest Dodge Brothers Six, with the result that this car is even more popular than any of its predecessors. It is comfortable, safe, easy-riding and easy to control. Doors and windows are extra- wide. There is ample space for five adult passengers, with leg-room, head-room and elbow-room to spare. » » The Mono-Piece Steel Body affords protection that promotes peace of mind. The weatherproof internal hydraulic brakes are an important safety factor. The flexibility of performance that comes from a smooth, powerful engine is still another insurance of satisfaction. This car has, of course, traditional Dodge dependability and long life. Let the family see and drive it. SIXES AND EIGHTS UPHOLDING EVERY TRADITION OF DODGE DEPENDA The Trew Motor Co. Established 1914 Sales Departmen 1509-11 Fourteenth St. N\W. Phones—Decatur 1910 to 1913 t Sales Rooms Open Daily Until 10 P.M—Sundays Until 5§ P.M. Ty Maintenance Department 1317-19 W Street N.W. mitted in Mississippi, Montana, oil, greasing service, etc., and South Carolina, Texas, Washing- they have shown their appre- ciation by their continued pa- tronage. I. C. Barber Motor Co. 1805 14th St. N.W. formerly identified with the automobile | business in Washington, has been con- ton and Wyoming. g | nected with the automobile business in In the matter of coasting in|the West for several years. neutral on the highways, the| | States are divided, with the ma- | \Jor WO néion, Rrath of the O1o% Jority in favor of prohibition of | of the Simmons Motor Co. as metropol- this practice. Coasting in neutral | jtan dealers for Oldsmobile and Viking is prohibited in 31 States and the lmfllubfll;s.! D’fine Simmons an:‘ xco. i i | needs no introduction to the Washing- Dissis & foumbis | ton public, having been in business here Only nine of the States permit | for several years. Salesrooms and office parking on the highways, and| i) pe maintained at Fourteenth most of them demand that 15-feet | street, and used car t at Four- clearance must be left on the road | teenth and 8 atreeta, Gardner-Stuart Motors, Inc. 1358 Florida Ave. N.E. Kaplan & Crawford, Inc. 2329 Champlain St. N.W. One Square South of Penna. Ave, on 12th NOW ONE OF THE LOWEST-PRICED CARS IN T} PLYMOUTH BY WORLD SOLD DODGE BROTHERS DEALFERS FVERYWHS