The Washington times. [volume], November 05, 1924, Page 21, Image 21

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

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gRSWASHINGTON TIMES MID •«<
AUTOMOTIVE SECTION ~
Psychology of Driving
Is Queer One
By J. LEO BUGRUE,
Times Automobile Editor.
Ten years ago the driver of a motor car was regarded as a
•lever person who had mastered a difficult art. Those who
Went to ride with him had complete confidence in his ability
to haddle any situation. The thrill of the first ride in an
automobile overshadowed all details of the occasion and no
one thought to question the ability of the pilot. But today
the situation is reversed. Passengers rivet their attention on
the driver,- mentally picking him to pieces and reminding him
that they expect to be wrapped around a telegraph pole at
any moment The psychology of the thing is naturally work
ing havoc with all drivers, experienced and otherwise.
This explains why it is that a driver will manipulate the
car like an expert orfe da v and like a greenhorn the next. It
furnishes an excellent ex”** nation as to why an operator wil 1
shift gears perfectly one uay and the next day run to the
opposite extreme of making the car sound like a stone crusher.
It explains the variability of modern driving.
.The operator of a motorcar re
■ponds to the mental attitude of
his passengers as readily as the en
gine responds to him. Logically
enough, therefore, it is necessary
only to place a certain type of pas
senger beside a responsive driver to
obtain either good or bad perform
ance. Ever notice the automobile
salesman who suggests that a pros
-*pect take the wheel of a new qar?
In order that the car shall give
creditable performance he knows
that the driver must first of all
feel that he is driving correctly.
Note the procedure of the salesman.
First he lounges into the seat be
side- 'the driver to register "ease.”
Next he lights* a cigarette to prove
that he has complete confidence in
the driver. And, finally, he speaks
of the remarkable performance of
the car to indicate that the machine
is the center of attraction, not the
driver. .
How does the driver respond?
First he is put at ease because of
the human tendency to imitate oth
ers. Next he gets an exalted opin
ion of his ability as a driver, which
builds up his confidence even if, m
reality, he is very inexpert. Finally
his attention centers on the car. He
forgets himself and drives by sec
ond nature, thus driving at his best.
.Q&.the other hand, let us Imagine
a case in which a driver has offer
ed. tP give a neighbor of his a ride
downtown. Being a good driver
himself, the neighbor Is slightly
hesitant about accepting the invi-
-f ■■■;.- ■
At points where lubrication
is often neglected, such as fan
hub and universal joint,
Buick has automatic lubrica
tion. Buick engineering has
made Buick easy to lubricate.
It is easier to care for a Buick,
1 ~ 1 * .
BUICK MOTOR COMPANY
Division of General Motors Corporation
WASHINGTON BRANCH
Fourteenth and L Sts. N. W. Franklin 4066
When better automobiles are built, buick will build them
• 4
. tation, but after being assured that
everything will be all right, he de-
• cides to take a chance. This mo
‘ mentary doubt in the mind of the
. neighbor as to whether it is worth
while to experiment, serves to make
’ the driver feel that it will be neces-
• sary to operate the car a little
. more skillfully. He immediately
becomes too conscious of his driv
ing, and trouble begins.
Gets Nettled.
He makes a mess of shifting
i gears—a thing which is not his
I custom. And when he notes fronv
the drawn expression that the
fumbling of the gears has been
’ regretfully noticed, he makes a
new error by driving the car too
I far with the coker button out, thus
l flooding the engine with gasoline
i and causing it to buck. When he
! has surmounted all these annoy
i ances he is so determined to take
i matters in his own hands that he
accelerates the car too much. This
' sudden spurt of speed the passen
' ger regards as an evidence of care
lessness. The way his hand is
clutching the door plainly conveys
his mental attitude to the driver.
All the way in town the passen
ger keeps his eyes on the traffic
i ahead, seems to be trying to assist
the driver, braces his feet against
Imaginary pedals on the floorboards
i and makes occasional gestures as
though he is about to junto- He
does not smoke, talk or act natural
in any way. All the white the
driver is operating the car miser
ably. doing things he has scarcely
THE WASHINGTON TIMES » • The National Daily » * v WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1924.
CHICAGO CUBS PITCHER SELLING
NASH CARS IN WASHINGTON
■BUS ■:
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K-« OJBIW
Si Hawkins, sales manager of the Hurley Motor Company, of this city, announced treat he has
signed up for the winter months “Vic” Keen, of the Chicago Cubs. Mr. Keen is shown
standing alongside his demonstrator, a new 1925 model Nash sedan.
ever done before. But later on they
pick up a sort of
person who probably would consider
a mild accident as an excellent ex
cuse for a holiday. That alters the
situation. He flops into the back
seat and Immediately begins to chat
ter, passes smokes to everybody
and says he would drive in town
with his own car if it wasn’t for
the fact that he invariably loses
his nerve and hits something.
The host of the party immediately
feels that he is being indirectly
complimented on his driving, else
why should a motorist who knows
the hazards of traffic trust himself
with a mere acquaintance? The
psychological effect of this causes
the driver to handle the car much
mone sensibly.
Now that so many people are
driving it is rare to have among
one's passengers anyone who is
not familiar with the operation of
an automobile. At least one other
person besides the driver will be
found to hold an operator’s license.
This one person may be sufficient
to unnerve the man at the wheel,
or, at least, cause him to become
too conscious of his driving. For
this reason it is very essential that
drivers should thoroughly under
stand these psychological processes
and by understanding them learn
'how to become immune from their
dangerous effects. The best chauf
feurs are not always those who
drive cleverly but those who assume
the attitude that they are not in
any way perturbed or elated by the
remarks, actions or thoughts of
those who ride with them. They
drive much more consistently as a
consequence.
A “Show-Off.”
It is frequently the case that a
driver will begin to “show off”
merely because he happens to have
with him some passenger who is
unnecessarily nervous. It is an old
story, too. that a crew of hilarious
passengers will so exhilarate the
driver that he will begin to feel
safe in accelerating the car to the
limit. And conversely a party of
trouble hunters will invariably cause
the man at the wheel to be overcau
tious. thus putting him in an
equally dangerous position.
The only remedy for this sort
of thing is for the driver to recall
that he is master of ceremonies and
that he must ignore the attitudes
which his passengers assume. A
gasp of fear from the rear seat or
a shout of- laughter should mean
nothing to him while he is driving.
He cannot afford to be distracted
by these petty depressants and
stimulants. In short, he should
mind his own business —-a business
which is rather Important to say the
least.
The driver who doesn’t understand
this, however, cannot be expected to
ignore these psychological influences
which passengers exert because the
process is unconscious. He responds
to the mental attitude of passengers
without realizing it. Once he has
become conscious of the process,
however, and realizes how detri
mental it is to his driving, It is an
easy matter to learn to ignore these
thought influences. The engineer of
a train has the advantage of being
so far from his passengers that
he is not affected by their thoughts
and actions. The pilot of a motor
C&n ’ Practice, estrange him-
self from his passengers by sub
merging their thoughts regarding
his driving in conversation which
bears on some entirely different
subject. z
(Copyright. 1924
ROLLIN ADDS TWO
NEW TYPES TO LINE
Rollins Motor Company have
added two new models to their line.
They are de luxe sedan to sell
around 11,550 f. o. b. factory and
a de luxe coupe priced around 91,395
factory.
These models are distinctly addi
tions to the lino and will not re
place any of the present cars ac
cording to R. T. Hodgkins, vice
president.
Taxes are the, or one o( the, great
obstacles to sales of motor cars In
England. The yearly tax on a
Ford car there amounts to approxi
mately JI 10. The tax is assessed
on the basil- of one pound per horse
power. That is why Citreen’s little
5-horsepower is so popular In Eng
land.
WHOBEgALE AND RETAIL
RIMS
FOR ALL WHEELS
SERVICE lIRE Ga
IawRUNOLETT.Ihraa ■
1336 14th St N. W.
Fenders Easily Cleaned
There are a number of prepara
tions for removing dirt and clean
ing enamel from fenders. They
can be secured from any accessory
house. Careful washing with Ivory
soap and water, afterwards remove
the suds before they are allowed
to dry and polish with chamois will
restore the original finish.
NASH
j -— ■ - ' -■ -b
Special Six Sedan, $1295, f. o. b. factory
/** ■* ' ' . . ' '■ - . 1 ■ •*•• *’ ■ ?
Presenting— the Special Six Sedan
♦
Four-Wheel Brakes, Nash Design
Full Balloon Tires, Standard Equipment
' Five Disc Wheels, Standard Equipment
r •
Full Comfort for Five People
. New Nash Steering Mechanism
New Force-feed Oiling System
, 11 . - ~l ■■ • - .
Solid Metal Trunk Platform at Rear %
Automatic Windshield Wiper
* One-Piece Windshield
i Rear View Mirror
Highly Refined Performance
New Advanced Six Series New Special Six Series
Models range from $1095 to $2290, £♦ o. -b. factory
HURLEY MOTOR COMPANY
1522 14TH STREET •/
Phone North 6462' v Open Evenings and Sunday
CAREFUL DRIVER
CLUBS BEING
FORMED
B. A 0. Railroad Employes,
Over 10,000, Join in New
Movement
Careful Drivers Clubs are being
organized among employes and of
ficials of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad as another step in the comi
pany’s activities looking to the prej
vention of crossing accidents. Ten
thousand applications for member
ship in„the clubs which are forming
in communities throughout terri
tory adjacent to the lines of the
railroad have been received.
Membership in the clubs carries
with it the promise that applicants
will drive carefully at all times and
stop before crossing railroad tracks
so as to be sure inat the way is
clear. To each member is given an
enameled tag bearing the legend,
‘‘This Car Stops At All Railroad
Crossings.” This the club member
agrees to’ attach to the rear of his
motor t vehicle. The tag will not
only be a reminder to Baltimore and
Ohio employes who may drive auto
mobiles but will also serve as an
added warning to other drivers who
observe the unique inscription.
As a further warning at night to
automobilists the Baltimore and
Ohio is installing" flashlight signals
at those crossings where extra pre
caution seems necessary. Two
lamps, equipped with red lenses
about twenty-four inches apart,
flash alternately when a train is
approaching, giving distinct warn
ing of danger. In many States
signs have been placed on the high
ways, located 800 felet from either
ride of crossings, notifying autoists
that they are approaching railroad
crossings.
Os the total of 10,000 persons
who died in the United States from
motor vehicle accidents of pH kinds
during the year 1923 it is extimated
that 11 per cent resulted from acci
dents at railroad crossings in. the
whole country. - Many at the rail-
roads, among them the Baltimore
and Ohio, are constantly striving In
various ways to reduce the number
of thia class of automobile acci
dents.
Five years ago the Baltimore and
Ohio started a systematic observa
tion at all grade crossings In order
to check up on the manner in which
drivers of motor vehicles approached
and crossed its tracks. Through
noting the license number of an
automobile whose operator /ailed to
fceed the customary warning of
‘‘Stop, Look and Listen.” the rail
road’s safety department was en
abled to send a card to the owner
of the machine, enlisting co-opera
tion in avoiding accidents at high
way crossings. The Baltimore and
Ohio railroad has made 2,161,44 b ob
servations in that time and of this
number 849,744 drivers or 1612 per
cent failed to take the necessary
precautions at crossings.
For the past three years during
June, July, Au.eust and September,
the months of heaviest automobile
traffic, the railroads have conduct
ed intensive "careful crossing cam
paigns,” to educate owners and
drivers of vehicles of all kinds in
the importance and necessity of
carefulness at all crossings. Large
placards in conspicuous places along
the highways anu cities bore, the
warning “Cross Crossings Cautious
ly.” Safety officials have been
gratified at the results of these
campaigns and encouraged to even
more intensive activities. The Care
ful Drivers Clubs are now being
established with this in mind.
AUTO GEARS MADE OF
DISCARDED COTTON RAGS
Your gears, Mr. Auto Driver, are
old rags. Literally, they are made
of discarded cotton rags. But don’t
worry. Before the gears find their
way into your car the rags are
transformed into fabric celoron bake
lite. This is a manufactured raw
material and is widely used for
gears wherever silence and durabil
ity are demanded.
In many automobiles one of the
timing gear cog wheels is made of
it as well as the speedometer gear.
When it meshes with the regular
steel gear both last much longer
than all-steel gears and are abso
lutely silent.
Kerosene Oil Remover
After cleaning all mud from the
auto running boards with soap and
water, wipe them with kerosene
to remove the grease and oil spots.
Kerosene is also excellent for clean
ing floor boards; ■
COLO WEATHER
EQUIPMENT
URGED
Stutz Dealer Says Installation
Should Be Made Before ,
Winter Comes
Cold weather equipment tor the
car should be attached before cold
qreather actually arrives, If Buch
equipment is to be accurately in
stalled, in the opinion of Captain
Harry M. Horton, local Stutz and
Duesenberg dealer.
Horton says that hundreds of hood
covering devices, car heaters and
other varieties of winter equipment
never work properly for owners be
cause the weather at the time cf
Installation is so unfavorable as to
render workmanship second-rate.
According to the dealer’s view of
It the man who attempts to Install
a winter device at the last minute
is forced to do it so hastily as to
do it half way x This, he contends,
is particularly True where a fine ad
justment is necessary for best re
sults.
“No one can do a first-class jpb
when the weather Is against him,"
he adds. “Thus if you want yoflur
radiator covering to do everything
at is supposed to do, and thereby jf
fer you the highest degree of engine
efficiency for cold weather driving
d 6 it now while the weather is still
mild. •• <- -
“Many owners are troubled sll
winter by reason of getting off to a
bad start one way or another. They
wait so long before thinking of whi
ter preparations that the first thing
they know they are obliged to pour
in a lot of anti-freeze solution with
out having an opportunity to'test
for leaks in the cobling sysem, Cr
without having a chance to drain it
“The same thing applies to all
winter devices. If you want them
installed right, properly adjusted
and designed 'to contribute' to the
efficiency of your winter motoring
have them installed before the
weather fasces you to a hasty and
unsatisfactory job.”
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